Fatal Fury - The Vengeful Spirits
by RobertCop3
Summary: A multi-part story that takes place after the events of the third "Fatal Fury" anime. After gathering his power, an old enemy finally returns to South Town, and our heroes will confront not only him, but also some personal demons, as well. Rated T for violence, language, and some mildly suggestive stuff. Updated as of 10/24/2018. Made some small edits that I think help it.
1. Prologue

****Fatal Fury: The Vengeful Spirits****

by

RobertCop3

This is the first part of my big Fatal Fury fanfic project. It's inspired more by the animes than it is the video games. So for context, you may want to watch those (in chronological order, they are: "Fatal Fury: Legend of the Hungry Wolf," "Fatal Fury 2: The New Battle," and "Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture"). You can find them pretty easily on YouTube, though honestly if you're reading this, chances are good you've already seen them. My story takes place where "The Motion Picture" left off, since it's inspired by the fact that SNK wanted to do a fourth anime, but had a falling out with Masami Obari's animation studio. I also slip in references to some of my other FF fics, so you may want to read those as well, but only if you feel like it.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: I originally posted this in the Fatal Fury section of this website, but after thinking it over, I've decided to repost it in the King of Fighters section, since I would like more people to read it, as it's the first big fic project I've done that I actually finished. I'll justify my decision by saying that I do use the King of Fighters tournament in my story, and also some of the characters use moves that they didn't have until the KoF series. All my other fics, however, are still in the Fatal Fury section, if you're interested. So until someone tells me to move this fic back to the Fatal Fury section, I have nothing more to say. Hope you like. And as always, feedback is welcome.

All characters are the properly of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games, or the anime.

* * *

 _ _Prologue: The Rising Storm__

 ** **Mino, Japan – The Shiranui Dojo****

It had been almost two years since Andy Bogard had last stood in the presence of his old master, but in that short time, Hanzo Shiranui looked like he had aged more than he had during the decade when Andy was his student. The face looked more heavily-lined, the white hair on the top of his head looked thinner, and though his eyes still looked as sharp as the mind within, they also looked tired. Overwhelmed by whatever crippling exhaustion was wasting his body.

Andy stood behind his girlfriend and Hanzo's granddaughter, Mai Shiranui, as she knelt by the old Koppou-Ken master's futon. Before their final walk up the long dojo steps, Mai had quick-changed out of the sundress she had been wearing and into a light blue kimono with a floral pattern across the waistband. On her feet she wore a pair of white, two-toed tabi. Andy had dressed similarly before coming in to see Hanzo, though his kimono was tailored for a man, and was a darker color with no designs on it. Hanzo had always been old-fashioned, so Mai and Andy had always tried to dress traditionally under his roof.

"Forgive me, Ojisama," Mai said as she gazed down at the hardwood floor of his bedroom. "I was away for longer than I intended to be." After what had happened in the Dead Sea, she and Andy had stayed with Andy's brother, Terry Bogard, for a few weeks at his apartment in South Town, helping Terry through the acute phase of his grief. Mai wasn't sure they had stayed long enough (despite Terry's reassurances), but she _had_ been anxious to get back to her grandfather. His health had taken a bad turn in recent months.

The aging master smiled and extended a shaking hand to his granddaughter, gently lifting her chin until she was facing him. "Do not be troubled by that, magomusume. I have lived my life. You must now live yours. You made sure I was in very capable hands before you left. And you checked in on me whenever you could. You have always taken good care of me."

"It's been my honor, Ojisama."

"And I sense that your travels did you good. Your mind and your spirit have grown in ways they could not if you had been tied to your routines here."

Mai nodded, remembering everything she and Andy had lived through (sometimes barely) on their search for the Armor of Mars. "I feel that they have, grandfather, but it wasn't always pleasant."

"It is not always, I'm afraid. That's why it's called growth. I look forward to hearing all about your travels and what you learned on them, but before that... will you be so kind as to make some tea? I would have words alone with my deshi."

"Hai, Ojisama. Of course." Mai kissed her grandfather gently on the forehead, then rose and excused herself from the room. On her way out she flashed Andy a weak smile that seemed to say: _good luck._

Andy got down on his knees beside the futon, and immediately assumed the same stance as Mai had, head bent towards the floor. "Forgive me, Master," he said.

The old man chuckled a little. "I'm glad to see you as well, deshi. Tell me: why do you feel you need forgiveness?"

Andy drew in a shaky breath, and after a pause, let it out slowly through his nostrils. _Here goes nothing._ "What I did two years ago," he said. "Leaving in the night like that without saying goodbye to you or Mai... that was wrong of me. I have my reasons, but I have no excuse. For ten years you brought me into your home, helped me gain the knowledge I had come to you for, treated me like a son... and then I insulted your hospitality, and everything else you had done for me. It was disrespectful, and I am... deeply sorry for that."

There was a long moment of silence. Then he heard Hanzo say: "Look at me." Andy raised his head, saw the old master regarding him thoughtfully. "I always knew you would be back someday. The day after you left, I told Mai-chan that this island has a habit of stealing away a part of its visitors, so they can never truly leave."

Andy nodded. "You're right, sensei. I'll always be an American, but I feel like this country has become my home."

Hanzo nodded, as well. "Tell me, deshi: did you get what you wanted from your mission for justice?"

Andy flinched. Hanzo had said 'justice,' but Andy could tell by his tone that he meant 'revenge.' After a moment, he shook his head. "No, Master," he answered. He left out that he was still bothered by two things. First, that his brother, Terry, had been the one chosen by Master Tung to learn the Sempu Ken technique; and also the fact that Terry, not Andy, had been the one who actually killed Geese Howard.

"Hm." Hanzo stroked his chin as he studied the face of his old student. "Yet I sense that perhaps you got something that you needed. The boy who left my dojo two years ago did not have any of the humility that I see in the man who sits here now. Your mind has progressed along with your physical abilities. You have continued to practice both of them on your own. Not that I'm surprised. You always exceeded my expectations when it came to your dedication. Also, any debt you feel that you owe me because of your slight, I consider paid in full, since you brought Mai-chan home safely."

Andy bowed his head. "Domo, sensei."

Hanzo coughed a little. "Well, that, and I'm too old to have debts hanging over me, anyway," he rasped. "So... what will you do now?"

Andy shrugged. "Continue to train, both here and at the Yamada dojo. Until I feel I have reached a point where my technique is perfected."

Hanzo gave him a funny smile, then, one Andy had not seen on him before. "If your enemy is dead, what are you training for now?"

Andy thought for a moment. "Myself, I suppose." Once again, he left something out: his desire to finally out-fight his brother.

The aging Koppou-Ken master nodded. "Well, your old room is yours again, if you want it. Mai-chan continued to make the bed for you while you were gone. You are very dear to her, you know."

"I know, Master."

"And do you also know that she is in love with you? She has been for some time, though I do not think she knows I have figured that out. Andy, I'm telling you this now, since I do not feel the subject will come up again while I am still alive: out of all the would-be suitors from the failed attempts by the Shiranui clan to arrange a marriage for Mai, I consider you more worthy of her hand than all of them combined."

Andy was silent. He knew that he liked Mai a lot, her quirks sometimes made him smile on the inside even if he wasn't smiling on the outside, but... was he in love with her? Did he even have what it took to be a good husband? He didn't have answers to either of those questions, yet. So far, what he did know was that he had been a poor boyfriend. But he was trying to do better. It had taken the two of them watching Sulia die for Andy to realize that perhaps Mai's love was a gift, and so on the flight back to Japan he had promised her he'd stop taking her for granted and try to act more like a boyfriend around her. But beyond that, he still was unsure what he really wanted.

Hanzo could sense that by his pupil's silence, so he simply reached out and placed his hand on Andy's shoulder. "I won't pretend to know what is in your heart," he said. "Only you can know that. If it tells you to continue your training, then do so. Just remember that not all battles are won with fists. And should you ever come to a place in your journey where you decide that you wish to marry my granddaughter, then you have my blessing."

Andy bowed his head again. "Domo arigato, sensei."

A few moments later, there was a knock on the fusuma door. "Enter," Hanzo called.

The door slid open, and Mai re-entered the bedroom carrying a tray laden not only with three cups of tea, but also a large steaming bowl, three smaller serving bowls, and some spoons.

"I heated up some miso too, just in case anyone was hungry," she explained.

"Domo, Mai-chan," Hanzo said with a nod as the kunoichi knelt on the other side of the futon opposite Andy. "I might have a little, after it cools for a bit." The master's wizened eyes lingered on his student for another moment, then he turned and accepted a teacup from his granddaughter. "Now, then, child: tell me what you've been up to."

* * *

 _ _Eight months later:__

 ** **South Town Cemetery****

The wind was picking up, blowing dry leaves through the darkened cemetery. It was past the hours when visitors were allowed, but Terry Bogard had snuck in anyway, because he wanted to be here, and would not let a concept like "visiting hours" keep him out.

 _ _Not like there's a time for visiting the dead that's inconvenient for__ _ _THEM,__ he thought as he knelt in front of two graves in a quiet corner of the cemetery. The headstone on the left had a flower carved into it along with the inscription LILY MCGUIRE: FOREVER FREE OF HER CAGE. The other stone had a pair of angel wings carved on its surface, and in between the wings was written SULIA GAUDEAMUS: THE ANGEL WHO TOUCHED OUR HEARTS.

Terry was starting to wonder why he kept coming here. Comfort? That couldn't be it. He'd dropped more than enough flowers on both graves, had talked to the stones for hours, even pulled up the weeds when the groundskeepers didn't do their job. And still, he felt no comfort. Perhaps he was hoping to see one of their spirits. He'd seen Lily's spirit from time to time, but not recently. Not since that night in Turkey when he'd helped Sulia search for the Armor of Mars.

Sulia... the only time Terry ever saw Sulia was in his nightmares, as she'd plunged that dagger-like stone into her heart, though it felt like she'd plunged it into both of their hearts. Every time he dreamed that dream, he thought that maybe he could run just a little faster, try just a little harder, maybe this time he would reach her before she could deliver that fatal stab. But he was always too late.

"Always too late," he whispered into the dead stillness of the cemetery. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that the both of you ever got to know me, and I'm sorry that I ever dared to love you, because I'm cursed. Any woman that I love will always die." A single tear fell from his eye onto the cracked soil at his knees.

After a moment, he got to his feet and put his trademark cap back on. "I don't know why I keep doing this to myself, coming out here," he said to the two gravestones. "I keep hoping I'll see one of your spirits again, but now I'm not sure what good that would do. You can't touch a spirit, can't hold it in your arms or kiss it. And I'm sure that wherever you are, neither one of you want to see me, anyway. You're both dead because I failed." He stood there with his head bowed for several minutes, and then remembered that he had somewhere to be. "I need to go now. I'll... try to come back when I can."

He shouldered his backpack, laid a kiss on the top of both headstones, and then made his way towards the cemetery wall and leaped over it. Soon, he was racing on his motorbike towards the only thing he had left that truly made him feel alive.

Twenty minutes later, when Terry arrived at the empty football field of South Town High, the wind was kicking up as a storm started to brew. A sudden bolt of lightning tore across the sky like a hot wire, illuminating the field, and by its light Terry saw a man with long black hair and an olive complexion, dressed in a red and black gi, kneeling in the center of the fifty-yard line. His eyes came open slowly as Terry crested the hill behind the goalposts.

"You are late, Lone Wolf," the man said in a reedy growl that sounded almost reptilian. "I was beginning to think you might be too cowardly to accept my challenge."

"And why would you think that?" Terry Bogard shouted over the rising storm as he dropped his backpack in the end zone, and started across the field towards the man.

The man stood, and ripped open the shirt of his gi, letting it fall from his arms and blow away in the wind behind him. Underneath, he had an ornate black and green dragon tattoo that ran in sinewy coils up most of his muscular torso. "Because I am a nightmare," the man said confidently. "I am the dragon who will finally devour the wolf, and send him to whatever hell he believes in."

Terry stopped ten yards away from the tattooed fighter, and assumed his stance. "Living is the only hell I know of," he said. "And you're not a nightmare." He flashed the man a sneer that bared his canines, just like the wolf he was named for. "You're a midnight snack."

The man assumed his own fighting stance. "Enough talk!"

"I couldn't agree more. Let's dance!" With that, they were joined in battle, and Terry gave himself over completely to the thrill of the fight: the only love he had left, and the one lady who would never leave him.

* * *

 ** **Hong Kong****

"Joe, honey," said the young woman with the long, jet-black hair and low cut green dress who was seated beside him in the booth. "Did I mention how brave you were tonight?"

Joe Higashi smiled, and took another sip of champagne. "You have," he said. "Several times. But keep it up. I love to hear beautiful women talk about me. I think it's very attractive."

Joe sat in the corner booth of a restaurant with three young women, wearing a black robe over his trademark orange shorts, enjoying both a victory dinner and the ladies' company after his latest match. One of the girls on his other side, a curvaceous Cantonese woman whose body was poured into a blue latex dress, picked up some spicy duck with a pair of chopsticks and slipped it into the Muay Thai kick-boxer's mouth.

"You must be sore after that," said the woman in the blue dress. "When we're done here, how about I give you a massage?"

"No fair!" Said another woman to the right of Blue Dress, this one blond and dressed in a very form-fitting peach-colored Cheongsam. "I wanna massage him!"

"Ladies, ladies," Joe said, waving his hands at them. "I'm equal opportunity. You can each give me a massage!"

Unfortunately, his words were lost on them, as the three woman started to argue even louder. Joe rolled his eyes, and wondered if he should say anything else. He loved a good cat-fight, but after what happened to that restaurant following his previous match in Malaysia, his manager was threatening to quit.

His gaze moved absently to the window as he tried to figure out what he should do. There was very little pedestrian traffic outside at this time of night, only a dark-haired man impeccably dressed in a black suit, tie, and sunglasses.

 _ _Who the hell would be wearing sunglasses after dark?__ Joe thought to himself. By chance, the man happened to glance into the window of the restaurant. For a split second, his eyes, concealed by the dark glasses, met Joe's brown eyes... and then to Joe's surprise the man did a double take and ran.

 _ _Funny,__ Joe thought. __Most people who recognize me usually run__ towards __me, for an autograph__ _._ Then Joe remembered that there were only two people he'd ever met who never took off their shades.

He sat up suddenly, breaking apart two of the women who looked ready to start scratching. "Joe?" Asked the blond woman. "Don't tell me we're actually scaring you off. I thought you liked cat-fights."

"Um, I do," said Joe. "I just spotted a fan outside who wants an autograph. Be right back!" He leaped clean over the table, and a few seconds later was out the door.

Once outside, he glanced both ways up and down the street, and saw nothing, but his ears picked up receding footsteps to his right. He turned and raced that way, footfalls smacking loudly against the damp concrete. When he got to the street corner, he saw the blur of black movement against the neon window signs, again to his right. He ran to the source and came to the entrance to an alleyway, but when he glanced down it he saw nothing.

Joe blew out a breath and ran a hand through his dark hair. He wasn't entirely sure that had been Hopper (or Ripper, Joe could never tell them apart), but if it had been, what were they doing in Hong Kong? Had they finally found a new employer?

"Can I have one fight anymore where some mood-killer doesn't happen afterwards?" Joe Higashi said out loud. He then turned and started back towards the restaurant. "I just hope the girls didn't leave without me." He'd return his attention to the festivities for now, but he would try to file this away in the back of his mind. It might be something one of the Bogards would want to know about.

* * *

 ** **Unknown Location****

On a cliff overlooking a wooded valley, a lean yet well-muscled figure dressed in faded jeans, a sleeveless shirt emblazoned with the Union Jack, and a red bandanna tied around his head sat on the cliff's edge, gazing intently at the trees below. Billy Kane sat with his bo staff balanced across his thighs, and shivered a little in the morning chill. The sun was still rising, and had not yet beaten back the cold of last night, partially shrouding the valley below him in a mist.

Billy reached over to the thermos by his side, poured himself some coffee, sipped gratefully at the steaming black liquid... and waited. It had almost become like a game to him, seeing how many trees would fall today, compared to yesterday. In truth, he treated it like a game to control the growing sense of unease he'd felt ever since that day when he'd been caught just on the edge of Geese Howard's technique. Geese's power had grown since Terry Bogard had scarred his chest, and somehow continued to grow.

After that day, Billy had learned not only to never interrupt the boss's exercise again, but also to watch it from a safer distance. As he looked down at the trees, he saw a faint light through the fog, the deep green glow of negative chi being focused, followed by a crackle. "Three..." He whispered softly. "Two... one... liftoff."

As he spoke the word "liftoff," he heard a faint cry of "Raging Storm!" echo up from the valley, followed by a funnel of energy that radiated out from a central point below the tree canopy and shot upwards, blasting the trees in every direction. When the energy cleared, Billy saw a small shadow standing in a hollowed-out crater, a crater surrounded on all sides by tree trunks that had fallen on their sides.

"Hm, 'bout the same size as yesterday," Billy mused out loud. "But bigger than the day before." He was talking to himself only to mask his nervousness. Lately he had found himself beginning to wonder if anyone should be this powerful.

 _ _Whatever__ , he quickly thought. __None a' my business. The bossman's not payin' me ta think, just ta walk softly an' carry a big stick.__

Down below, there was another crackle, another flash of eldritch green light as Geese Howard focused the energy for another attack, but Billy had seen enough. He rose, and started back towards base camp with his staff slung over his shoulder.

After walking a short distance through the trees, Billy came to a small clearing with a tent, and a circle of smoldering embers from last night's fire. A black-haired man dressed in hiking boots, cargo pants, olive green jacket and sunglasses was seated by the fire, a small but ornate chest on his lap.

"Ripper," Billy said with a nod. "Have I ever told ya 'ow much I hate nature?"

"Only every time the boss orders us to meet him out here," Ripper replied.

"Well, he's not done exercisin' yet," said Billy. He pointed with his staff at the chest on Ripper's lap. "Wot's that? Another trinket fer 'is collection?"

"For his eyes only," Ripper said, moving both hands so they covered the box's lid.

Billy shouldered his staff again. "Like I care wot it is or wot he does with it. I'm only the muscle."

Ripper stood, the chest tucked under his arm. "Well, I'm gonna go watch the show."

"Knock yerself out," said Billy. "I've seen enough. Don't 'ave much of a a plot."

Ripper started off through the trees. After he was gone, Billy took the seat the dark-haired man had just vacated and once more laid his staff across his thighs.

"Billy boy," he mused to himself, once again out loud. "Yer lucky that yer dear ould mum ain't alive to see the fine mess you've gotten yerself into..."

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 1

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games, or the anime.

* * *

 _ _Chapter One: The Detective__

"Zapper!"

Terry Bogard saw the shockwave of light blue energy race towards him across the ground, and quickly countered with one of his own. "Power Wave!" He cried, slamming the ground with his fist. His own energy shockwave flew across the ground, striking his opponent's, and the two of them canceled each other out in a brilliant burst.

Terry found himself buffeted just a little by the energy recoil, but managed to keep his footing. His opponent, a muscular hulk dressed in blue overalls, with short black hair and a mustache, did not seem fazed by the backlash at all. Of course, he also had at least a foot of height on Terry.

The man started across the cobbled wet concrete and asphalt of the dim alleyway, and started to deliver a flurry of kicks. Terry dodged what he could, and when he couldn't, he tried to swat the man's foot away with his fist. He saw an opening, landed several blows to the man's stomach that seemed not to faze him. Terry then felt a sharp pain in his side as one of the mustached man's kicks connected, sending him flying into the side of a brick building.

He'd been trying to hold back, but Terry realized that he would probably need to use some of his energy-based attacks to even the odds a bit. He sprang to his feet, but before he could start focusing his chi, he saw a sudden blur of green and blue swarm around the hulking man, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of fists battering flesh.

It took only seconds, and then Terry's opponent was sprawled several feet off to the side, and where he had been standing, Terry saw a short, yet impassive-looking woman dressed in loose-fitting blue jeans, heavy boots, a red crop top, and a green jacket. Her shoulder-length hair was blond, her eyes like two chips of green ice, and her mouth was pressed into a tight line, neither smiling nor frowning.

Ignoring Terry, she turned to face the heavyset man. Two patrolmen ran up behind her, their guns drawn. Without turning to face them, she calmly raised a hand. "Put those guns away, boys," she spoke in a commanding voice. "I've got this."

Slowly, the men lowered their weapons. The woman reached into a pocket on her jacket, pulled out a pair of cuffs. "This will be a lot easier if you cooperate, sir," she told the man in the overalls. "Please put your hands behind your head."

She started towards him, but he lunged at her suddenly. As if she'd been expecting this, she casually sidestepped, then stuck out her leg and and pivoted her body in a spinning kick, her heel striking the man hard on the base of his spine. That, combined with the momentum from his charge, made him sprawl headfirst into some steel garbage cans.

"They never wanna do things easy," she muttered. "Oh, well, just makes my job more fun." The man was up again in moments, swinging wildly at her. Terry could tell automatically that this was a fight he would not win. The woman was smaller than him, had less muscle mass, but his anger at being interrupted was clouding his focus. Also, he was making the serious (and sometimes deadly) mistake of underestimating his opponent because of her gender.

She played upon this perfectly, dodging his attacks with no effort, only striking back where she knew it would cause the most damage. She ducked his right roundhouse punch, counter chopping to that side, bruising his kidney; ducked the opposite roundhouse, countered with her right knee, bruising his spleen; dodged his overhead swing, using his own forward momentum to deliver an elbow strike to his solar plexus.

That last blow knocked him back several paces, leaving him winded but still on his feet. Once more, she pulled out the handcuffs, dangling them in front of her face. "Are we ready to try this again?" She asked coldly. He growled and lunged, more suddenly than she was expecting. The cuffs clattered to the pavement as he tried to press his weight on top of her and knock her out that way. She quickly recovered and let herself go limp until her back was against the ground, then she tensed and thrust sharply upwards with her booted feet, flinging his body off of her with no effort. He slammed into the far wall, and slid to the ground, bumping his head on the concrete in the process. He did not get up again.

She did a handspring to her feet, then walked over to his body, knelt by him, pressed two fingers against his neck. Finding a pulse, she got up and retrieved her handcuffs, then tossed them to the waiting patrolmen. "He's all yours," she told them.

As the police moved in to cuff the man, one of them asked the blond woman: "And the other one?" He gestured at Terry.

"Leave him to me," said the woman. The man saluted, and then joined his partner in escorting the cuffed man, who was still dazed, towards the patrol car waiting outside the alley.

Terry blinked several times, still trying to convince himself that what he saw was real. Then he remembered that she had interrupted him. "You're a good fighter," he said as he walked over to her. "But that was my opponent."

Her cold green eyes came round to him."Are you sure about that?" She asked. "Because that would mean admitting that you were engaged in an unlawful street fight."

Though he had recovered from his opponent's last blow, Terry still felt dazed. What was she talking about? "It's not unlawful if both parties consent, miss..."

She opened one side of her jacket slightly, allowing Terry to see the glint of a badge. "Detective Mary Ryan," she said. "On special assignment with the South Town PD. Obviously, you haven't read a paper recently, Bogard."

Terry blinked rapidly in surprise. "You know my name?"

"I did my homework. I always do my homework when I get an assignment." She shut her eyes, then, reading off facts from memory. "Terrance Bogard, alias the Lone Wolf, birth name unknown, mother and father unknown. Known family: Legal guardian Jeffrey Bogard, deceased, Brother Andrew Bogard. Known accomplices: Master Tung Fue Rue, deceased, Joe-Wu Higashi, Mai-Lin Shiranui, Anthony Sampson. Not much else on your sheet. Just some minor counts before your adoption by Jeff Bogard: food theft, vandalism, disturbing the peace. After you turned eighteen, just a few counts of drunk and disorderly about two years ago." She opened her eyes then. "Want me to go on?"

Terry blinked again, still trying to process what was happening. "First of all," he said. "Those people you named are not accomplices. They're my friends. And second: Jeff Bogard __was__ my father. May want to do your homework a little better next time, babe."

Mary pulled her lips back in a snarl, then, and jabbed him in the chest with her finger. "And __you__ may want to never call me 'babe' again. If you enjoy the use of your limbs, that is."

Terry raised his hands in mock surrender. "Yeah, I'd say I enjoy them a lot. Okay, you win. So, why should I read a paper?"

"If you had, you would know that we have a new mayor now. One who sees street fighting as this community's final tie to the days of Geese Howard."

"Street fighting is what saved this city from Geese, because the police weren't getting the job done," Terry pointed out.

"Because he owned them," Mary countered. "And after his death, we saw corruption on the force almost disappear. A new commissioner was appointed, who started to dismantle all of the remnants of Howard's criminal empire. The only one left now is street fighting. There was a time when it was needed. Now it's not. It causes property damage, disturbs the peace, sometimes civilians get caught in the crossfire. The mayor has issued an order making it illegal. Took place effective midnight yesterday. I've been brought in to help the South Town PD enforce it, until such time as my assistance is no longer needed."

"That may be a while," said Terry, still not believing what he was hearing. "The mayor is trying to cut out this city's heart. The street fight is a part of what this town is. Even long before the days of Geese Howard, when my Master Tung was younger than I am now."

Mary nodded. "That's why I read up on you. I'm aware of your history. I assumed you might be a troublemaker, and this town's most likely offender to the new law. The Lone Wolf has become a popular challenge for any upstart looking to make a name for themselves. But I'm letting you off with a warning, in gratitude for what you've done for South Town, and also because I didn't actually see you throw a punch tonight."

Terry rolled his eyes. "How magnanimous of you," he growled.

"But rest assured," continued Mary, stepping up to him until they were only inches apart. "I will be watching you very closely. From this night on, you're my new hobby. The second I see you pick a fight with anyone, you're going down. Hard." She jabbed him in the chest with her finger as she spoke each syllable.

Terry smirked at her. "Or you could just take up stamps," he said. "Some people say that's a fun hobby."

"Go home, Bogard," Mary growled, then turned sharply on her heel and started to walk out of the alley, hands in the pockets of her jacket. "And stay out of trouble," she called over her shoulder. Terry watched her walk away, unable to take his eyes off her, admiring the movement of her hips, the way that her curvaceous backside still managed to perfectly fill in the seat of those baggy jeans.

 _ _She's quite a customer,__ he thought. __Perfect combination of beauty and attitude. And, holy shit... those moves!__ Then he shook his head, remembering himself. __Don't even think about that.__ _ _You're cursed, remember? You can never let yourself get close to another woman, or they'll wind up just like Lily and Sulia. Your heart's been broken enough. Never again.__

"Never again," he repeated to himself out loud, with conviction. "Your heart belongs to the fight now." With that, Terry picked up his bag, and started out of the alleyway in the opposite direction Mary had gone.

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 2

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games, or the anime.

Special thanks to fanfic writer RenkonNairu who helped influence a small part of this chapter.

* * *

 _ _Chapter Two: Sayonara__

 ** **Mino, Japan – The Shiranui Dojo****

Mai Shiranui balanced the breakfast tray on one hand as she knocked at the master bedroom door with the other. "Are you up, Ojisama?" She called through the fusuma. "I have breakfast." Andy was still doing his morning practice in the woods, so Mai had wanted to make sure her grandfather was fed so that she and Andy could have a nice breakfast together when he got back.

"Grandfather?" She called again. Normally, he was awake by now. Mai slid the door open cautiously, and when she saw Hanzo was sitting up on the futon, looking at the doorway, she entered with the tray.

"I've got some miso served over rice balls, and I made some of your favorite tamagoyaki, with the prawns and green onion." She moved to the window and opened the curtains with one hand, letting the morning sun into the room. "If you're still hungry after that, I can bring you some tsukemono," Mai said as she turned back towards the bed. "We still... have some..." Hanzo continued to stare at the doorway, not acknowledging Mai at all.

"Ojisama?" She asked again, louder, her lip starting to quiver. "Ojisama!" He did not move. His eyes were unblinking. The breakfast tray slipped from her hand, the dishes shattering on the floor, but the noise sounded far off in Mai Shiranui's ears. Suddenly feeling like she could not stand, she made it to his bedside before sinking to her knees, and took Hanzo's hand in both of hers. It was cold.

"No..." She whispered, her deep brown eyes starting to brim with tears.

* * *

 _ _Five days later...__

Andy Bogard stared grimly out through the kitchen window at the dojo's courtyard, noting the overcast sky. It had been cloudy at Jeff Bogard's funeral, too. And Master Tung's funeral, and Lily's, and Sulia's. It was like the gods always seemed to know when someone was being buried.

Andy turned away from the window and made his way down the hall towards Mai's bedroom. The sliding door was shut, and Andy knocked gently on it. "Come in," he heard her voice through the door.

Andy slid the door open, and entered. Mai was seated at her vanity table, dressed in a drab black kimono with black tabi on her feet. The traditional dress of mourning, but Andy thought that she wore it like royalty. He was starting to think Mai could look beautiful in anything, even a track suit.

Mai turned and looked Andy over, almost like she was inspecting him. He had rented a black suit, and she noticed that he still hadn't knotted the tie properly. But he'd always had no fashion sense, as she liked reminding him. "Hi, Andy," she said softly. "I'm almost done here." She then turned back to the mirror.

Mai had braided a garland of white carnations into her ponytail, and was now in the process of wrapping it into a tight bun around the back of her head. "Terry called while you were in the shower," Andy told her. "He sends his condolences, and also said he's sorry he can't be here."

Mai nodded as she started to put the finishing touches on her bun. "I understand," she said. "He never met Hanzo, anyway." Of course, she suspected that was not the real reason Terry hadn't come, but rather it was because the memory of the last funeral he'd attended was still too fresh in his mind, like an open wound.

After the incident in the Dead Sea, when Andy and Mai had arrived in South Town along with Joe and Terry, the four of them had arranged to hold a small, private memorial service for Sulia. Since no trace of her body had been found (whatever energy had vaporized her brother Laocorn had apparently claimed her as well), they had simply commissioned a memorial headstone, and placed it alongside the grave of Lily McGuire in South Town Cemetery. Mai remembered how Terry had barely been able to keep it together during that service. Just watching him try had been enough to make Mai weep like a baby.

Mai pushed those thoughts away. Remembering Sulia's funeral would only make her cry now, and she needed to keep it together during her grandfather's burial service. She was master of this dojo now, and had to maintain a certain level of control, especially in front of her extended family, who would be watching her very closely. She could cry later, when she was alone with Andy.

"Andy," she said, turning to face him again. "I wish you could be next to me today."

Andy nodded. "Me too. But remember, we talked about this."

Mai remembered only too well. The night after she'd discovered Hanzo's body, the two of them had a discussion.

* * *

"This is stupid, Andy," she'd told him. The only reason she hadn't cried when he'd suggested it was that she'd run out of tears earlier that day. "I don't care what the rest of my family thinks, and I know you never have. So what if they see us together? You knew grandfather for over ten years, you know how much he cared for you, you have every right to take part in the ceremonies."

"You're right, Mai," Andy had told her. "I've never cared about your relatives' opinion of me. But I care about you. Hanzo left you this dojo. You're its master now. And remember what he always said: the master must appear strong, at all times. Hanzo's decision to teach the secrets of Koppou-Ken to an American made him very unpopular with your extended family in the last years of his life. They'll be watching you for anything that they might be able to use to challenge you, and your ownership of this dojo. So, it might be best for both of us if I didn't act like your boyfriend during the services. I don't want to dishonor Hanzo's memory by causing one of your family to make a scene. He deserves better than that."

Mai did not know which had annoyed her more. That Andy was even suggesting this, or that he was absolutely right. "You're right, Andy," she had conceded with a heavy sigh. "But you'd better prepare yourself, because as soon as all this is done, I expect you to snuggle my damn brains out!"

So at the wake, Andy had stayed in the back row while Mai was in the very front row with the rest of the family. Andy had not been present at the cremation, and had made himself scarce when the family brought the ashes back to the dojo for the bone-picking ceremony. Mai had spent most of last night at the temple keeping vigil with Hanzo's urn, coming home in the early morning, long after Andy was in bed, so she could catch a few hours of rest, and clean herself up for the burial service.

* * *

Now, as she sat there watching Andy try to fix the knot in his tie, Mai thought of something. "We did talk about it, Andy, but maybe there __is__ a way you can be with me." She picked one of her hairpins up off the table, a pewter one with a cherry blossom handle, and showed it to him.

Andy recognized it as the one he'd gotten her for her thirteenth birthday, all those years ago. "You still have it!" He said. "I never saw you wear it, so I just assumed..."

Mai shook her head. "I thought it was too beautiful to wear. I kept it on my table where I could look at it every morning, and be reminded of you. But maybe I was just waiting for a good reason to wear it." She reached back and slid the pin into the center of her bun. "Now, in a way, you can be next to me all day, Andy."

He smiled as he walked over to her chair, helped her to her feet, and kissed her gently on the lips. They then shared a brief hug that was interrupted by a knock at the front door.

"Are you ready?" Andy asked her.

"As much as one can be for something like this," Mai answered, and started off down the hall with Andy following at a short distance.

Joe Higashi was at the door, his black suit identical to Andy's. Apparently, they must have rented from the same place. "Hey, Mai," Joe said softly to her. He surprised her then, by holding out his hand. "Truce?" He asked with a sad smile, indicating that he was offering a temporary cessation of their usual hostilities until Mai was finished mourning.

Mai couldn't help but laugh a little. "Thanks, Joe," she said, stepping past his outstretched hand to give him a hug. "I accept."

Master Jubei Yamada arrived almost immediately after, a white carnation pinned to the lapel of his suit, his normally unkempt silver hair combed and pulled into a ponytail. He came towards Mai with his arms outstretched. Mai, very familiar with her old judo master's previous offenses, slipped her hand into the sleeve of her kimono, ready to grab one of the fans concealed there.

However, to the utter surprise of her, Andy and Joe, Jubei simply gave Mai a chaste hug, his hands in a neutral position on the center of her back. More surprising, he actually pulled away after a socially acceptable amount of time had passed. He then reached down and took Mai's hand gently in his.

"I'm very sorry, Mai," he said to her, his dark eyes shining. "Hanzo was an extraordinary man. It was an honor and a privilege to be able to call him 'friend'."

Mai smiled sadly, and gave him a small peck on the cheek. "Thank you, Master," she said. "He wasn't the sentimental type and rarely said such things out loud, but I could tell he thought of you as the brother he wished he'd had."

A tear got loose from Jubei's eye, and the old man wiped it away as it slid down his cheek. "I thought the same of him," he said, giving Mai's hand a small squeeze before releasing it.

"We should probably be on our way, now," Mai said to the group. "Everyone else will be starting to gather at the temple."

* * *

The temple was only a few miles from the dojo, and it still was not raining, so they decided to walk. Andy and Mai walked arm-in-arm with Joe and Jubei following at a short distance. When the temple's roof began to appear in their line of sight, Andy let go of Mai's arm.

"You can do this, Mai," he whispered in her ear, then fell backward several steps until he was walking alongside his friend and his judo master.

"Everything okay?" Joe asked Andy out of the corner of his mouth.

"Long story," said Andy softly. "I'll explain later."

Master Jubei, having known the Shiranui clan since before Mai was born, understood right away what was happening. "It's very admirable what you're doing for her," he said to his student, his tone of voice indicating that he was surprised Andy had thought of something like that.

When they arrived, a few people were standing outside the temple, at the foot of its steps: one of Mai's cousins, a fishmonger from town to whom Hanzo had been a regular customer, and one of Hanzo's former students. Mai took a deep breath, briefly touched the pewter cherry blossom sticking out of her auburn hair, and then moved forward to go through the necessary formalities.

Andy, Joe and Jubei stayed back a few paces until Mai had finished with her pleasantries, and had started up the steps to the temple entrance, then they moved forward towards the other mourners.

"Konnichi wa, Jiro-san," Andy managed to say politely as he bowed to Mai's cousin.

"Gaijin," the one called Jiro responded, nodding his head at Andy. Fortunately for Andy, Jubei and Joe then struck up a conversation with both Jiro and the fishmonger, leaving Andy to speak to the third mourner, a balding, hawk-faced man who looked to be in his middle fifties.

"Konnichi wa," the man said as he bowed to Andy. "I am Matsumoro-Kazuki-san. You are American?"

"Andy-Bogard-san," Andy said as he bowed to the man in return. "And yes, I am. I was Hanzo-sensei's student for ten years."

"As was I, in my younger days," said Kazuki. "These days, I am master of my own school of Koppou-Ken in the Aomori prefecture to the north. Hanzo-sensei spoke of you in a letter to me once. I admired his willingness to teach those arts to an American. He was old-fashioned in some ways, but very forward-thinking in other matters. I think in his heart, he felt there was a little of Nippon in all people. I have tried to maintain that way of thinking. I actually have some senpai at my dojo who are Americans."

"You honor Hanzo-sensei's spirit with your willingness to teach any who desire to learn," Andy said, and bowed again.

"Domo, Andy-san," Kazuki said, and returned the bow.

Andy wished they could have spoken longer, but the bell sounded, indicating that the service was about to start. As everyone ascended the temple steps, Andy tapped Joe on the shoulder. "Thanks for running interference," he whispered into the kickboxer's ear.

Joe shrugged. "Everyone hates talking to their in-laws," he whispered back.

Once inside the temple, Andy felt a pang of regret as he saw Mai up in the front row, seated closest to the center aisle with her aunt and uncle sitting to her right. The family filled the first two rows, and the rows beyond that were already filled with friends, former students, and people from the town who knew Hanzo. Andy found an open spot next to Joe and Master Jubei, and took his seat.

The service was short, as it was the last of many that had taken place over the past few days. The priest said a brief sutra over Hanzo's urn, which rested on the altar, after which he, Mai, and several of Mai's family burned an offering of some incense. The priest then presented the urn to Mai, who bowed reverently as she accepted it with both hands.

Mai followed the priest down the center aisle between the rows of seats, cradling the urn tightly. As they passed the rows, the mourners got up from their seats and followed them outside, forming a procession to the nearby graveyard where the Shiranui haka rested.

The haka was a stone monument on a hilltop overlooking most of the graveyard. Inscribed on the side of the monument were the names of Mai's parents and grandmother, whose ashes were already in the ground below it. As the procession neared the haka, Mai saw that freshly-made wooden sotoba with their names written in black ink were leaning against the stone (drawn up for this occasion), as well as a sotoba with the name Hanzo Shiranui, resting behind the hole that had been dug for his urn.

The priest led the group in a few more sutras, both for Hanzo and for those already interred there, after which it was time for Mai to bury her grandfather. She cradled the urn for a few minutes longer, then lovingly passed it to Master Jubei, who slowly lowered it into the freshly-dug hole with the help of Mai's two uncles.

After the hole had been filled in, Mai got down on her knees in front of the stone, and bowed until her forehead was pressed lightly against the soft earth. Mai allowed for a single tear to drop from her eye onto the soil, unseen by her family. "Sayonara, Ojisama," she whispered. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you've done for me in life, and I will try always to follow your example. Daisuki da yo, Papa Hanzo." She rose, plucked one of the carnations from her hair, and placed it in front of the haka. Then she leaned in and kissed the stone before stepping back, allowing other mourners to come forward and offer their own carnations to the gravestone.

She watched Hanzo's family, friends, former students, and other mourners place their white flowers on or near the haka, but the whole time she had a faraway look in her eyes, only half-noticing them. By the time Andy stepped up to offer his carnation, Mai found herself wishing that she was lost in the blond man's embrace.

* * *

After the burial, the family and friends gathered back at the dojo for some refreshment. Mai had erected a small Butsudan in the courtyard with a picture of Hanzo attached to it, in case mourners wished to burn incense or leave small offerings. She was planning to leave something later on, but right now she was stuck talking to her aunt, listening to the same old story about how Mai should be married now that she was in her early twenties, and also running a household.

Inwardly, Mai rolled her eyes. Several of the dates she had been on during the year Andy was gone had been with men recommended by her family. "Mai-chan, do you remember Mafune-san?" Her aunt asked. "The one you couldn't bother to go on a second date with? He is currently working for the second largest textile company in Nippon, and he's still single. Only twenty-six, and just three positions down on the ladder from becoming Vice President of marketing for the entire company. He asked about you the other day. Should I give him your number?"

"Why don't you give me __his__ number instead?" Mai asked, trying to make her tone as friendly as she could. "I'll call him." Her aunt gave Mai a business card, which Mai accepted with both hands and stuck into the pocket of her kimono, intending to throw it in the trash first thing tomorrow.

After getting three additional phone numbers, Mai finally found a reason to excuse herself from her Obasan, and was making her way through the dojo, greeting the other mourners as she passed them. In the dojo's gym, she found Andy leaning against one of the walls, trying to have polite conversation with another of Mai's cousins. Master Jubei was sitting cross-legged on the gym floor, chatting with three middle-aged men.

"Oh, hello, Mai," Jubei said when he saw her. Mai could tell by the way he slurred her name that the judo master had gotten into the sake. "I was just telling some of Hanzo's former students about a trip he and I took the year after the war ended. It was to a coastal village in the southeast. The journey was long, and your Ojisama wanted to turn in as soon as we got there. I practically had to drag him out the door to go sightseeing, which was lucky for him. We ate at this quaint little place right on the beach, which bought most of its seafood daily from a local fisherman. Your grandmother was the fisherman's daughter and worked in the kitchen. Have... have you heard this story? You'd like it, I think."

Mai smiled, in spite of how she was feeling. Both her grandfather and Master Jubei had first told her this story when she was five, and Mai had heard it many times since then. "I'm sure I would, Master," she said. "Another time, perhaps?" Then, to the three men, Mai bowed her head. "You honor your families and Hanzo-sensei's memory with your presence. Arigato." The men stood and bowed back.

When Mai was finished chatting with them, she made her way over to Andy. "Andy-san," she said. "When Master Jubei is ready to leave, will you make sure he has a cab?"

Andy bowed, ignoring the sneer of derision from Mai's cousin. "Hai, Shiranui-san," he replied, glad for a reason to excuse himself from his current conversation. "I'll go look for the phonebook."

When Andy entered the kitchen, he found Joe Higashi standing there eating a plate of temaki. "Andy, you got a minute?" He asked.

Andy was glad to give him one, if it offered him a respite from talking to Mai's family. "What's up?" He asked.

"Recently, I had a match in Hong Kong," said Joe. "And while I was there, I think I spotted one of Geese Howard's old lackeys. Not Billy... one of the other guys, who always wore sunglasses."

Andy frowned. "Hopper or Ripper? How do you know it was one of them?"

"It was night, and I've never met anyone else who wore sunglasses at night. I mean, they _never_ took those things off."

"Where were you?"

"Having a little post-match victory celebration with some ladies, when I saw him go by on the sidewalk outside."

Andy rubbed his chin. It was possible Joe might have had a little too much to drink and was seeing things. "Maybe it was just someone who looked like them. Lots of people do."

Joe shook his head. "He seemed to recognize me, because after he saw me, he ran."

"That's odd," Andy thought. "And you don't know what he might have been doing in Hong Kong?"

Joe shrugged. "You know me. I wouldn't have paid attention to what else was there. And I didn't have much time to think about it. The next morning, I was on a plane to Manila for another match."

Andy started rummaging through the cabinets, remembering the reason he'd come in here in the first place. "That doesn't give us much to go on," he said. "If we knew why he was there and who sent him... Well, we'll need to talk more about this later."

Joe nodded. "Right." He then turned back to the table to put more temaki rolls on his plate.

* * *

Evening finally came. The mourners had gone home, and Andy was making his way through the dojo with a plastic garbage bag, using it to pick up empty cups and plates as he found them.

When he came to the reading room, he saw Mai sitting on the sofa, hands in her lap, staring blankly at Hanzo's old easy chair, now empty. Andy chose not to say anything at first, instead picking up the plates from the table. Mai seemed not to notice the noise.

"Mai," Andy said softly, after the silence began to make him uncomfortable. "Can I get you anything?"

"Hm?" Mai turned her head slightly, as if she'd just realized he was standing there. "Oh, hey, Andy," she said, and gave him a sad smile. "You've done more than enough today, but if it isn't too much trouble, could... could I have some water?"

"It's no trouble," Andy said. He went back to the kitchen, dropped the garbage bag in a corner, then filled a glass from the sink and brought it back to the reading room. He sat down on the couch next to Mai, and placed the glass on the table in front of her, but Mai was once again staring at the easy chair, as if she didn't know he'd come back into the room. The glass remained untouched.

"This... finger food wasn't that filling," said Andy. "If you want, I can cook... no, wait, maybe I shouldn't cook. Forget I said that. But I can walk into town for some take out, if you like."

"No. Thank you," Mai said as she continued to stare ahead of her. "I'm not hungry."

"It... was a nice service," said Andy. "You did very well. He'd be proud of you."

"I know."

Andy shook his head. He'd been trying to do better at this sort of thing since they'd gotten back to Japan, but now he couldn't seem to find the right words. Of course, he hadn't been to many funerals. And he remembered that sitting and staring was mostly what he'd done at the funerals he __had__ been to, even his own father's.

Suddenly, he thought of something. "Mai," he told her. "When Master Hanzo passed, he went peacefully in his sleep. I wish my father had gone like that."

Mai turned to face him, then. "Oh, Andy," she said, her lip quivering, her beautiful brown eyes starting to glisten. "This isn't fair."

"These things never are," he said.

Tears were trickling out of her eyes now, and Andy smiled sadly as he offered her his hands. "It's okay, Mai. It's just us now. You can stop being brave. Come on, just let it out."

As if she'd been waiting all day for someone to tell her it was okay to do that, Mai Shiranui finally allowed herself to break down. "Andy..." She sobbed. "I miss him __so much__ _._ " She threw herself at him and buried her face in his chest, as all of the grief she'd been forced to keep inside suddenly bubbled to the surface. Tears poured from her eyes like rain, soaking Andy's shirt and tie, and her body was racked by huge, heaving sobs that felt like they might snap her slender frame in half. She wept, she bawled into him, as he sat there with his arms around her, offering what support he could. Occasionally, he would whisper into her hair: "That's it, Mai, let it out." But other than that he was silent as Mai gave vent to her feelings.

Eventually, the tears began to slacken off, her body began to shake less. Finally, with no more tears left, she hiccuped several times. "Suh-sorry about your... shirt, Andy," she managed to say. In addition to soaking it with her tears, she saw that her nose had run a little onto it as well.

"It's okay, Mai," Andy said as he gently stroked her hair. "I rented the suit, remember?"

"Uh huh," Mai said flatly as she sat up. Andy offered her a dish towel that was slung over his shoulder, and Mai took a few moments to clean her face with it.

"Andy," she then managed to say. "Wuh-what I said earlier. Th-that it wuh-wasn't fair. I wasn't talking about guh-grandfather. I wuh-was t-talking about you."

"Me? Why me?"

Mai finally picked up the glass of water she'd asked for, then took a long sip from it. "Because, Andy," she said, her voice more steady now. "It isn't fair that I have you to hold, to cry on, to talk to like this. You didn't have anyone like that when you lost your father."

Andy gazed incredulously at her, amazed that she could still think of others at a time like this. "Well, Mai," he said. "I didn't really cry at my father's funeral. And I didn't exactly lose him, the same way you lost your grandfather. Jeff... was taken from me. Most of what I felt at his funeral was anger at the one who had taken him, and anger at myself for being powerless to do anything to stop it."

Mai knew the rest of the story. It was then that Andy had decided to try and hide his emotions from everyone. She buried her head in the dish towel and hiccuped a little more. After a long while, she took another sip of water to compose herself. "Andy," she said as she moved onto his lap. "No wonder it's taken us this long to reach this point in our relationship. You've really come so far."

"Do you really think so?" He asked.

"I know so." Mai raised her tear-stained eyes to gaze up into Andy's blue eyes. "You've been trying ever since we got back last year. Really trying, I can see. Yes, you're still focusing on your training, and you spend three days a week over at the Yamada dojo, but you're also taking time for me. I actually feel like we've been a couple for these last several months. And today, you really went above and beyond. You were so good through all of this, dealing with my family's bullshit."

Andy shrugged. "That was easy. Even when I was a kid, I never cared what your relatives thought about me. Your grandfather's opinion was the only one that mattered."

"I know. It's one of the many things I love about you. Oh, Andy, I love you so much." She wrapped her arms around his neck, and then kissed him deeply. Andy returned the kiss as he gently put his arms around her and rubbed the small of her back.

Mai's kiss suddenly became more primal, as she tried to slip her tongue into Andy's mouth. Her hands moved to his waist, untucked his shirt, and then started on his belt.

"Mai, wait," Andy said, putting his hands gently around her wrists. "We shouldn't do this now."

Mai's mouth came open, and for a moment, it looked like she was about to sob again. "Andy... why?"

"You've had a very hard day," Andy explained. "You just said goodbye to someone you love, who you've known your whole life. Your feelings are probably all over the place. I don't... want you to do anything too rash."

Mai's face contorted slightly. "Rash?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I chose the wrong word, didn't I? I just... I don't know if you're thinking straight right now, what with everything that's happened the last few days. I don't want to take advantage of you."

Mai sat up straighter, looking a little annoyed, though Andy's acknowledgment of his poor word choice smoothed things just a little. "Andy," she said. "I've wanted to make love to you since I was eighteen, right before you left to go back to America. I think I've given this more than enough thought."

"I know," said Andy. "But... Mai, you're still in mourning. Despite what you might tell me, I would still feel like I was taking advantage of you if we did this now."

Mai exhaled loudly. Despite all the progress they'd been making, Andy still hadn't let her in completely. He really __had__ been doing better with showing affection. He would hold hands with her in public (along with other forms of casual contact), and he had gotten a lot less shy about kissing her. Sometimes, after her grandfather had fallen asleep, she and Andy had made out on this couch like teenagers. But all he ever seemed to want to do was kissing and light petting. Mai had always tried to take it a step further, but every time she had started to undress, Andy always stopped her, saying that they were under Hanzo's roof, and he thought it would be disrespectful.

She knew that deep inside him, there was still one more barrier left to break, and Mai wasn't any closer to figuring out what that was. But she wasn't going to press it. When it did happen, she wanted Andy to be as ready for that level of intimacy as her. "Okay, Andy," she said. "I'll wait until you're ready. But will you at least do one other thing for me?"

"Name it."

Mai curled back up on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck once more. "Hold me. Please. Just hold me."

"Of course I will." Andy slipped his arms around her waist, and just held her. It was not long after that Mai, physically and emotionally exhausted from the last few days, had fallen fast asleep on his lap. Moving very carefully, Andy rose from the couch, cradling her sleeping form in his arms, and made his way down the hall. He used his elbow to slide open her bedroom door, then entered, and placed her gently on the futon. She was still dressed in her black kimono, and Andy decided to just let her sleep in her clothes.

He pulled the blanket up over her, regarded her for a moment, admiring how peaceful she looked while asleep, and then leaned in and kissed her eyes. "Sleep well, Mai," he whispered, then left the room and slid the door shut.

After picking up all the trash he could find around the dojo, he went outside and left the garbage bag at the top of the dojo steps, not wanting to take that long walk tonight. He'd do it tomorrow morning before Mai woke up. He then went back inside and headed towards his own room, eager for rest.

He slid the door open, flicked the light on... and saw Joe Higashi lying on his bed. The Muay Thai kickboxer came awake suddenly with a small yelp, sitting up on the futon. "Andy?" He asked. "What time is it?"

Andy raised a finger to his lips. "It's after dark," he said softly. "Keep your voice down. Mai is asleep."

Joe winced, and rubbed a hand through his spiky brown hair. "Sorry, Andy," he whispered. "I dozed longer than I meant to."

Andy moved to his closet, where he took off his suit jacket, as well as the shirt and tie that Mai had ruined, and donned a clean white tank top. "I wasn't expecting to see you," said Andy. "I thought you'd left already."

"Funny story," Joe explained. "Master Jubei cornered me earlier, and insisted I join him for a sake toast. But you know what the old master's toasts are like. First, we had to drink to Hanzo. Then to Hanzo's wife. Then one for his son. Then one for Mai. Then one for the Shiranui dojo. Then an individual shot for each one of Hanzo's many virtues..."

"Yeah, I get the idea," Andy said, more than familiar with Master Jubei's toasts, having participated in one himself once.

"So, anyway," Joe continued. "After that, I needed a nap. So I walked down the hall opening doors until I found a bed. I'm glad it was yours, and not Mai's."

"Me, too," said Andy. "So, can I call a cab for you? Or if you want to crash here, I can make up one of the couches."

Joe shook his head, and picked up his tie from the floor. "Nah," he said. "It's a nice night, and I booked a hotel room in town. I can walk."

Andy nodded. "Well, before that, are you up for joining me in one for the road? It's been a while since I've had a drink, but I haven't toasted Master Hanzo yet today, and I feel like his spirit would be very disappointed if I didn't."

Joe stood up, clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Just try and stop me."

A few minutes later, they were out in the courtyard under the stars, seated on the ground in front of the Butsudan. Andy had two bottles of Kirin in his right hand. He popped the tops off of both of them and passed one to Joe. "To Master Hanzo," said Andy, raising his bottle in Joe's direction.

"To Hanzo," Joe echoed, and they clinked together. Andy then raised his bottle towards Hanzo's memorial.

"Domo arigato, sensei," he said to the picture of Hanzo Shiranui that was attached to the Butsudan. "For everything."

For a while, both Andy and Joe sipped their beers while looking thoughtfully at the Butsudan, which was surrounded by white carnations, origami animals, burned sticks of incense, and the odd trinket.

After a bit, Andy's gaze became a little more thoughtful. "I wish I had an offering for Hanzo-sensei," he said, more to himself then to Joe. He didn't own much other than the clothes on his back, most of which he'd acquired whenever Mai dragged him on a shopping trip. Then he snapped his fingers. "Wait. Maybe I do." He got up, disappeared inside, and a few moments later came back with the wrist guards from his fighting outfit. He placed them carefully on the top of the Butsudan, then sat back down next to Joe.

"It seems appropriate," Andy explained. "Master Tung was my first teacher, but Master Hanzo was the teacher who really taught me how to fight, which became a big part of my life."

Joe nodded, took another sip of beer.

"And his granddaughter, of course, has become a big part of it, too," Andy added.

Joe nodded again. "Andy, I gotta hand it to her. Today, she handled herself like a pro. I didn't know she had it in her."

"I did," Andy said.

"Of course," Joe quickly added. "You'll have the decency not to tell her I said that."

Andy laughed. "Of course." Then he held his bottle out again. "To Mai."

"Mai," Joe echoed, and they clinked and drank again. After a long while, Joe asked him: "Andy... didn't you say that you and Mai ran into Billy, Hopper, and Ripper at Duck King's place?"

"Yeah," said Andy. "But they didn't stick around long. They left when Hauer started making a scene. I haven't seen them since."

Joe took another sip of his Kirin. "I think it's weird that the three of them would still be causing trouble together. They were hired goons. What reason did they have to stick together after Geese died?"

That was actually a good question. "Maybe they all got hired by someone else? Or maybe they all just decided to get together for a night on the town? Funny, I didn't think much of it at the time. Now I wonder."

"Well," said Joe. "I'll be in Tokyo for a little while after this, since my manager's got nothing lined up for a couple of weeks. You've got your hands full here, so I'll make the supreme sacrifice and see if I can find some newspaper archives that might tell us if anything else was in Hong Kong at the time I was there for my fight."

Andy nodded. "Yeah, I'd be interested. Maybe it's nothing, maybe it's not."

They fell silent again, intently watching the Butsudan. __But I really hope it's nothing__ _,_ Andy thought, and took another sip of beer.

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 3

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games, or the anime. "Gypsy" is written by Stevie Nicks, and is the copyright of Warner Brothers. I'm posting this fic for free, and make no money off of it.

* * *

 _ _Chapter Three: One For the Road__

 ** **South Town – The Pao Pao Cafe****

 _ _She is dancing away from you now  
She was just a wish  
She was just a wish  
And her memory is all that is left for you now__

 _ _You see you're a...__

The music from the jukebox stopped abruptly as Terry Bogard located the plug, and yanked it from the outlet. He then rose to his feet and pumped the air triumphantly with his fist.

"You break it, you buy it, Terry!" Shouted the darkly-tanned man with the goatee who was working behind the bar.

"Damn thing was broken before I did that, Richard," Terry shot back. "Every time I come in here, it's always playing that same song. I hate that song, it's depressing."

Richard Meyer laughed at him. "Well, if you know a way I can get some more regulars, maybe I can afford to get it fixed."

Terry started to make his way through the smoky haze of the cafe, weaving around the tables, about half of which were occupied, until he reached the bar. "Well, I hate to tell you this, my friend, but you're about to lose a lot more regulars over the next several weeks. Three shots of Jim Beam, please." He held up three fingers for emphasis as he slid onto the stool.

Richard thought it was an odd request, but knew better than to question a long-time customer, and started to line up the shot glasses. "When did you get the ability to see the future?" He asked Terry.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't read a paper," Terry said with a laugh. "Apparently, our __honorable__ new mayor has decided to cut out this city's heart by banning all street fighting. I'll be leaving soon, while I still can. Wouldn't be surprised if most of the other fighters in South Town decide not to stay, now that they have no reason. And how many of those fighters come here when they feel like getting food poisoning?"

Richard found the bottle on the shelf behind him, and shook his head as he started to fill the glasses. "Most of 'em. You know, I'm glad you're getting out, Bogard. Every time you come in here, you have bad news. Why don't you try taking a cruise or something, lighten up a bit?"

"I'm a man of simple pleasures, Richard," Terry said as he raised the first shot glass. "These are for the three loves of my life. This one is to Lily, my Queen of South Town." He knocked the shot back, slammed the glass upside down on the bar, and picked up the second one. "This one is for Sulia, my angel whose wings were clipped far too soon." He raised the shot, knocked that one back as well, placed the empty alongside its companion.

He paused for a moment, as if contemplating the third shot. Then he licked his lips and said: "And this last one is to my third lady love, the art of the fight. I thought she'd never leave me, but if I stay here, she will. So I have to continue my romance somewhere else. There's no reason for me to stick around." He raised the glass, but before he could bring it to his lips, he felt Richard put a hand on his wrist.

"Wait," the bearded man said. "Let me join you for that one." He poured his own shot of bourbon and clinked it against Terry's. "To the fight," Richard echoed, and they both drank. As Richard started to pick up the empty glasses, he said: "You know, maybe with the way things are changing, I should sell this place."

"Or turn it into a museum," said Terry. "I think some of the food back there was actually eaten by cavemen."

They shared a laugh over that, and then Terry rose from his seat, dropped some money on the bar, and tipped his cap at Richard. "Stay out of trouble," he said.

Richard nodded politely. "I'd wish you the same thing, but we both know that's impossible. Happy trails, Terry."

"We'll see," said Terry, and he exited the cafe into the dull neon haze of night. He wasn't drunk, but feeling just slightly pleasant, and for a moment he was trying to remember where he had parked on the almost deserted street. Then he heard an all too familiar sound nearby.

He took a left from the cafe and ran down the sidewalk for a few blocks, until he came to the entrance of an alleyway. He peered into the dimness of it, and as his eyes adjusted, he saw Detective Mary Ryan fighting with three very angry-looking men.

They were doing their best to surround her, but she seemed to be aware of this, and kept doing her best to circle and keep them off her flank. Her steps were light but precisely measured, like a dancer's. __How does she move so nimbly in those boots?__ Terry wondered. He stepped into the alley as quietly as possible, mesmerized by what he was seeing, in spite of his brain screaming for him not to be.

As Mary had done the other night, she was holding back, waiting for one of her opponents to make the first move. It didn't take long. One of the attackers launched a kick at her midsection, which Mary dodged by swiveling her upper body to the right, the foot missing her by inches. She then grabbed his ankle and swung him bodily around like a hammer, slamming him into the second attacker. They both went down, dazed but not out of the fight yet.

The third man had taken advantage of the opportunity to get behind her, tried to trap her in a bear hug. As soon as Mary felt his arms around her, she leaned forward and bent her knees, bringing the man forward along with her. This gave her enough space to position her left leg behind his. Grabbing his right thigh, she then jerked him off balance. The man fell on his side, and Mary turned and delivered a swift kick to his ribs. The man rolled backward, gasping for air.

 _ _Okay,__ now __I'm impressed__ , Terry thought to himself.

The first two attackers had recovered and were trying to double team her. Mary was forced to focus all her attention on them as she dodged their attacks. She did not see that the third man had regained his feet and was sneaking up behind her, but Terry did.

"Fun's over," Terry said softly to himself, and sprinted towards the man as quietly as he could. Right before the third attacker was about to come at Mary from behind, Terry closed the distance between them and delivered a roundhouse kick that struck the man in the left side of his torso and sent him slamming against the wall.

"What the..." Mary half-turned with her fist cocked, relaxed it slightly when she saw Terry Bogard standing there, but only slightly.

"Bogard!" She snapped. "Why the hell are you interfering in my operation?"

"Is that what I was doing?" Terry asked with a shrug. "I thought I was helping you. Look out, by the way."

Mary felt the rush of air behind her, ducked a high kick from one of the attackers, then turned and slammed her knee into his groin. He gave a shrill scream and collapsed.

"I don't need your help," Mary said.

"I know you don't," Terry answered calmly. "But I'm giving it anyway. Do you usually take on this many by yourself, or have you ever heard of backup?"

The only attacker still standing held back, uncertain of what he should do now, but after a moment he was rejoined by the man Terry had just hit. It looked like they were regrouping.

"I was about to call for it," explained Mary. "And then one of these guys broke my radio." She thought for a second, then fished a card from her jeans pocket and held it out to Terry. "Here. Find the nearest payphone, call that number, and ask for Sergeant Hawkins. Give him my location, and he'll take it from there."

Terry made no move to grab the card, instead shaking his head. "And leave you to face these guys alone? Sorry, detective, Jeff Bogard didn't raise any cads."

Mary clenched her teeth. "Cram your chivalry, Bogard!" She snapped, not taking her eyes off the two men, who had been rejoined by the third, limping slightly but still looking eager for blood. "I meant what I said the other night. You throw a punch, and I haul your ass in with the rest of them!"

"What if they try to punch me first?" Terry asked. "Can't arrest me for self defense."

"No, but you're refusing to call for backup, like I ordered you to. I can nail you for disobeying my direct order."

Terry grinned, in spite of himself. "You really don't like me, do you? There was a time and place when that would have flattered me. Today, it's just annoying."

Keeping her eyes on the three men, Mary once more thrust the card at Terry. "I'm not fucking around anymore, Bogard. Payphone. Sergeant Hawkins. __Now!__ "

"Um, it may be a bit late for that," Terry told her. "I think I know why those three guys were hanging back."

Mary turned her head slightly, enough to see four more men coming into the alleyway from the entrance where Terry had been standing a few moments ago.

"Still want me to find that phone?" Terry asked her.

Even Mary knew better than to send him away now. She cursed loudly, and then moved until she was standing behind Terry, facing the opposite direction, and took up her stance. "Back to back," she said.

"Obviously," Terry muttered, assuming his own stance.

For a while after that, neither one of them spoke, focusing all their attention to the task at hand. Their assailants had energy and outnumbered them at least two to one, but they lacked both strategy and coordination, moving without rhyme or reason. The exact opposite of Terry and Mary, who continued to repel their attacks with little effort.

As Terry worked, he found himself momentarily recalling the last time he'd fought this many men at once, when he'd first run into Sulia at that arcade. __Sulia... No! Don't think about her right now. There is only this moment. This fight.__

In his lapse of concentration, Terry almost didn't see that one of the attackers had pulled a knife and was lunging at him. Terry swiveled his body at the last minute, grabbed the man's wrist, attempting to divert the blade, but it still tore a gash in the sleeve of Mary's green jacket.

"Son of a..." Mary hissed. Quickly, she grabbed the man's outstretched arm, pressed her knee against the bottom of it, then slammed her elbow down hard on top. The snap of bone reverberated through the alley, quickly followed by the man's bloodcurdling scream. Mary flung him against the wall and then quickly put her back to Terry's once more.

Mary's sudden burst of rage had made a few of the men lose their nerve. One of Terry's attackers turned and started to run back up the alleyway, but Terry hit the ground with a power wave attack. The shock-wave knocked his other two opponents to the side, then continued towards the fleeing man. He flipped forward when the wave struck him, slamming his chin against the concrete and then lying still.

The three thugs on Mary's side turned and ran as well. Mary sprinted after them, and caught up to the slowest after only a few paces. Terry saw a burst of blue chi as she launched herself into the air and delivered an uppercut to the man's back that also made him airborne. She struck him three more times in midair, flashes of blue energy blazing from her fists, then grabbed him and flipped him over her head towards the ground, where he landed hard on his back. Mary touched down on her feet a few inches from him.

The other two attackers had left the alleyway, and Mary knew there was no point in pursuing them now. She looked down at the man she had slammed, saw that he was not getting up anytime soon. So she made her way back to Terry.

The two men knocked to the side by Terry's power wave had regained their feet, albeit a bit unsteadily, and Mary regarded them coldly, her green eyes narrowed into slits. She extended a hand, gestured to them with her fingers. "Just give me an excuse," she growled.

The men looked at each other for a moment, then back at the blond woman, and then they dropped to their knees and placed their hands behind their heads.

Terry Bogard found that he could not do anything except stare.

* * *

The backup that Mary had originally been unable to call for arrived only a few moments later. Apparently, a passerby on the street outside had seen the altercation and took it upon themselves to phone the police.

Now, they were back out on the street, and Terry leaned against the trunk of a squad car as he watched the blond detective chat with two men in drab trench-coats. She had not been wounded, the knife had only torn her jacket.

The back seat of the car Terry was resting on contained two of the attackers, while the other three were being loaded into ambulances. The rest of the policemen who had come were off combing the area for the two men who had fled.

"Broken bones mean more paperwork, Ryan," one of the men in coats said. "Was that much force necessary?"

"He had a knife, captain," Mary explained. "And now he doesn't."

The second man gestured to Terry. "What about this one? Is he part of the ring, too?"

For a brief moment, Terry Bogard met Mary's green eyes. Then, he shrugged and started to look at a nearby wall, indicating that he didn't care what she told them.

"Let him go," Mary said. "He came to my aid after my radio was broken."

"Understood," said the first man, then he and his similarly dressed companion turned and got into a black car nearby.

Terry got up off the car as Mary approached him. "I'm sure that was difficult," said Terry. "So, thank you."

Mary said nothing, merely slapped the trunk of the squad car twice. A second later, the driver started the engine and was on his way.

"You're not taking the car?" Terry asked her.

Mary shook her head, pointed to a cherry-red motorcycle parked on the side of the road nearby. "This is my ride," she said. "I hate taking the car." She stood there for a moment, fingering the rip in her jacket's sleeve, and Terry couldn't help but notice an odd look on her face. Then she recovered quickly, and nodded at him. "See ya, Bogard. Next time, do what I tell you when I tell you, or I won't be as nice."

As she was walking towards her bike, Terry suddenly found himself blurting out: "Can I buy you a drink, detective?"

Mary turned to look at him, for a brief moment losing her poker face. Then she quickly regained it. "You're joking, right?" She asked him.

Terry shook his head. "I'm not trying to imply anything with that request," he said. "Simply that I owe you. I'll be leaving town soon, probably not coming back, and before I go, I want to make sure any debts I think I might have are erased. You could have had me thrown in the back of that squad car, but you didn't. Also, it is sort of my fault your jacket got ripped. So I'll buy you the drink, and then we'll be even. How does that sound?"

She regarded him for another moment, her jade eyes unreadable. Then, she nodded curtly. "Fine," she said. "You have any place in mind?"

"Actually, I know of one just up the road."

* * *

"Back already, Terry?" Richard Meyer asked him as Terry re-entered the Pao Pao Cafe. "What, did you find another woman to replace fighting?"

"He should be so lucky," Mary snapped as she stepped out from behind Terry.

To Terry's surprise, Richard seemed to recognize her. "Mary, good to see you again!"

Mary gave him a smirk. "Wish I could say it was good to be back, Meyer. You still haven't fixed this damn jukebox."

"And you still haven't learned to use first names," Richard shot back.

"Why bother? You knew who I was talking to." Mary made her way to the jukebox, still playing the same song from when Terry was there earlier:

 _ _To the gypsy  
That remains__ _  
_ _ _She faces freedom  
With a little fear  
Well I have no fear  
I have only...__

The song cut off abruptly as Mary found the plug and yanked it from the wall. "I can't stand that song," she explained to Terry as she stood up again. "It's depressing."

"You don't say," Terry quipped. Then, he added: "So, you've been here before? I've never seen you."

Mary pointed to a table towards the back, in the corner, partially concealed by the shadow of a rafter overhead. "That's my usual spot. I can see everyone in the place, they can't see me. Just how I like it."

"Who wouldn't?" Terry asked with a smirk. "So, what do you feel like?"

"I'll order for myself, thanks." She turned to the bar. "Hey, Meyer, give me my usual, and put it on this asshole's tab."

Richard nodded politely. "One Blue Mary, coming up. How about you, Terry? Another bourbon?"

"Just a beer this time, thanks," said Terry. He and Mary made their way back to Mary's usual table, and Terry let her take the seat against the wall. "So, you have a drink named after you?" He asked the blond detective after they were seated.

Mary nodded, one corner of her mouth turning upward ever so slightly, while the other remained neutral. "There was a time in my life when I needed a drink that would get me drunk fast. So every time I went to the bar, I rattled off the names of several different types of booze to the bartender, not even caring if they mixed well. One day, either through luck or fate, I hit upon the perfect combination without even trying. I asked the guy what he'd used and committed his answer to memory. It's now the best-kept secret in the bars of South Town."

"What if someone else asks for it?" Terry pointed out.

"The bartender will deny it exists. I have an understanding with them. This drink is mine, mine only."

"Must be special."

The smirk faded, her mouth flattened again. "It helped me when I needed it the most. Let's leave it at that."

Terry shrugged. "Whatever you say."

A moment later, Richard came with their drinks. The drink placed in front of Mary was served in a martini glass, and looked clear, like water. Then Terry noticed something odd. When she raised the glass to her lips, the color of the liquid seemed to change to a neon blue. Mary took a sip, placed the glass back down on the table, and then the liquid looked clear again. Terry craned his head down until it was level with the glass, and then the drink's color went back to bright blue.

He sat back up and shook his head. Once more the cocktail looked like water. "What the hell?" He muttered.

Though she showed no outward sign, inwardly Mary was amused by his reaction. "Like I said, best kept secret in South Town. Don't ask me what's in it, because I'll never tell."

Terry nodded, and sipped his own drink. "So, who taught you?" He asked her

"Taught me what?" She asked back.

"I watched your technique the other night," Terry started to explain. "When you fought that big bruiser guy in the overalls. You were putting only the bare minimum of force into your strikes, letting his own momentum do most of the work for you. And he had at least a hundred, hundred-fifty pounds on you, and you knew how to throw him like he weighed nothing. And tonight... I recognize focused chi when I see it. These things all need to be learned. Really learned. Who trained you?"

 _ _Just shop talk, then,__ Mary thought. __I'm fine with that.__ "When I was a kid, I learned Kobojutsu from my father and grandfather. When I was twenty, I met someone else who taught me... a lot. Sambo mostly, but... a lot of other things too." Her voice trailed off after that, her green eyes once more got that faraway look, and her fingers went almost reflexively to the rip in her sleeve.

The silence was making Terry uncomfortable, so he pointed out: "Sambo, huh? Well, that explains how you can throw guys a lot bigger than you."

Like that, the look in Mary's eyes was gone and she recovered, took another sip of her special cocktail. "Right. So, how about you?" She asked.

"Well, you know the name Master Tung already," said Terry. "Both me and Andy trained under him for a few years, learning the Hakkyokuseiken style. Then our father was murdered, and we decided to spend the next ten years learning some new styles. Andy went to Japan and studied Ninjitsu, Judo, and Koppou-Ken."

"Koppou-Ken..." Mary said softly, connecting some dots in her mind. "Right. Shiranui. I thought your friend's last name looked familiar."

Terry nodded. "Thank you for calling her 'friend' and not 'accomplice.'"

Mary shrugged. "Guess you could say I did my homework better."

He grinned, in spite of himself. "Yeah, she's Hanzo's granddaughter," Terry continued. "She's also Andy's fiancee, though Andy is still very slowly figuring that out. Not her. In her mind, she and Andy are practically married."

"Romantics," Mary said with a snort. "I have zero tolerance for that kind of woman. And what about you?"

"Girlfriend?" Terry shook his head. "Nope, don't have one." Then, after a pause, he quickly added: "Don't want one, either."

The corner of Mary's s mouth raised slightly in an attempt to smirk. "No, I mean: you said your brother spent ten years in Japan. What about you? Where did you go?"

"Here and there. Everywhere, really. I wandered from one side of the country to the other, and even a few places overseas. When I needed money, I found part-time work. When I didn't, I'd find a master who was willing to train me, though I rarely stayed with them for more than a year. The rest of the time, I sought out street-fighting rings, sometimes as an observer, sometimes as a participant. Those taught me how to incorporate a few... unorthodox ways of thinking into what I learned from my teachers."

"Self-made man, huh?" Mary asked him.

Terry shrugged. "You might say that after Jeff Bogard was killed, I just took my old life back up again, this time with a focus."

"Geese has been dead for a few years," Mary pointed out. "What's your focus these days?"

"Fighting," Terry said simply. "That's why I'm getting out of South Town."

They fell silent for a while after that, neither one of them wishing to share anything that was more personal in nature. Finally, when their drinks were almost gone, Terry said, "I am sorry again about your jacket."

Mary shook her head. "Don't be. I'll just patch it up when I get back to my office. Won't be the first time."

"Must be special."

Mary's eyes once again took on that look, so Terry quickly added: "Worth breaking bones for, anyway."

Mary smirked, once more not really smiling. "You're one to talk, Mr. Baseball Cap."

Terry laughed, touched a finger to the brim of his hat. "Nah, these aren't special. I literally throw these away all the time. There are several sporting goods shop owners in South Town who make a lot of money off of me."

Mary didn't laugh, instead blew a small breath out of her nostrils. Then, she sipped the last of her drink and got up. "I should be getting back now,"she said.

"Right," said Terry. He pulled his wallet from his back pocket, and as he opened it, a small photograph slipped out and onto the grimy tiled floor. Terry reached down to grab it, and Mary saw a brief glimpse of the girl in the picture: a beautiful young woman with violet hair and bright, golden eyes. The look on her face suggested that she was deeply troubled by something when the picture was taken, but the eyes were still shining with hope, like she had found a new sense of purpose.

Mary also noticed the look on Terry's face as he quickly slipped the photograph back where it came from, and she said nothing. Instead, she found something else to look at as Terry took out some money and dropped it on the table.

* * *

"Thanks for the drink, Bogard," Mary told him after they were back outside.

"Thanks for humoring my honor system," Terry said with a nod. "I meant what I said earlier, by the way. I am leaving soon, and I won't be back until the mayor gets his head out of his ass."

"Which means this is goodbye forever, then," Mary said.

"What will you do when I'm gone?" Terry asked her. "You'll need a new hobby."

Mary gave that tiny smirk again. "Maybe I'll take up stamps. I've heard that's fun."

Terry chuckled, and tipped his cap. "See ya round, detective," he said, then turned and started walking up the sidewalk towards his bike.

Mary watched him walk away, her green eyes glinting with appreciation. __He's got a cute ass__ , she thought. __Some pretty nice moves, too. I can see why fighters want a piece of him.__ Then her fingers went once more to the rip in her jacket, touched it gingerly, like it was a wound on her own skin. __Forget it, Ryan,__ she told herself. __You remember what happened to Butch, and what that almost did to you. Your heart belongs to the job now. You gave it to someone once before, and paid dearly for that. Never again.__

"Never again," Mary said out loud, with conviction, then turned and started up the sidewalk in the opposite direction Terry had gone.

To be continued...


	5. Chapter 4

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games, or the anime.

* * *

 _ _Chapter Four: Special Delivery__

 ** **South Town Cemetery****

He should have left by now. His plan had been to sneak in, place a final bouquet on each of their graves, say goodbye, and that would be that. Jeff Bogard and Master Tung's graves had been no problem. But for some reason, Terry Bogard had now spent an hour standing in front of the headstones for Lily and Sulia.

"It's not that I __want__ to leave," he said out loud to the stones. "But I have to. Thanks to the new mayor, I don't have a reason to stay. No, I didn't mean it like that. It's just that the living need to keep living. Since I lost you both, the only thing that makes me feel alive anymore is the fight, and if I stay here, I can't fight. So I need to move on. Lily, you used to appear to me all the time. Sulia, I've never seen you before, not since the day you died. Please, can't you just appear to me now and tell me you understand? I __have__ to know that you understand. I still love you, I always will. I just have to leave. Please... tell me that's okay..."

Evening turned into night. Still, he heard and saw nothing. He was about to give up when he heard a soft whisper from the grove of trees behind their gravestones: _"_ _ _Terry__ _..."_

Terry's head jerked up, his eyes on the trees. "Lily? Sulia? Is that you?"

 _"_ _ _Terry..."__ the voice emanated softly through the trees again, as if it were being carried on the breeze. Terry raced into the middle of the grove, his eyes scanning for the ethereal blue light that always seemed to appear right before he had a spirit visitation. But he saw nothing.

"Terry... Bogard..." The voice was louder now, clearer. Loud enough for Terry to tell that it was not feminine. But it was still familiar.

Through the cracks in the trees, Terry could make out a shadow against the hazy clouds of South Town's night. A silhouette of a well-built man, arms crossed in front of his chest. Terry could not make out the face. When he blinked, the shadow was gone.

"Terry... Bogard..." The voice was louder now, a deep growl that Terry recognized.

"What the hell?" He muttered to himself. There was a snap in the grass behind him. Terry turned on the balls of his feet... just in time to see a bright ribbon of blue energy strike him squarely in the face and send him flying. The blue light faded quickly into black, as did the rest of Terry's world.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that it was still night. He was on the ground, his back against the thick trunk of a tree. Slowly, he got to his feet, ignoring the ache in his head and neck. His blue eyes scanned the tree grove for any sign of his attacker, but they appeared to be long gone. Terry looked down, saw a small furrow of soil extending from the base of the tree to where he had been standing earlier, no doubt made by the heel of his shoe as he'd flown backwards. He stepped forward a few paces, saw that the tips of the grass appeared to have been singed by chi energy.

Terry knew a Reppuken when he saw one, and whatever hit him had definitely looked like one. But Terry Bogard had only ever fought one man who utilized that technique. What the hell was going on?

After standing there for a while, lost in thought, Terry finally made his way out of the tree grove, back towards the headstones of Lily and Sulia. "Good news, ladies," he said to the graves as he picked up his bag. "I may not be leaving after all..."

* * *

 ** **Mino, Japan – The Shiranui Dojo****

The whistle of the tea kettle filled the kitchen, and Mai Shiranui quickly removed it from the heat, then poured the steaming water into a ceramic teapot that she had already filled with the ingredients for Hanzo Shiranui's favorite green blend. She quickly placed the lid on the pot so it could steep, then moved the pot onto a painted tray.

Andy was off in the forest behind the dojo, doing a quick workout before bed. At least, that was what he told Mai he was doing when he'd stuck his head in the kitchen earlier, after Mai had first put the water on. She knew the main reason he was exercising now was to give Mai some privacy while she had a chat with her grandfather.

 _ _He really has been so good through all of this__ _,_ she thought. __Better than I thought he could ever be. I'll need to find some way to thank him, when I'm feeling better.__ It had been seven days since the burial, and per tradition, the temple had held a memorial service for Hanzo on each of those days. Mai had been present at every service, and just like the wake and the burial, Andy had sat in the back if one of Mai's family members were present, while Mai sat in the front. Whenever they got back to the dojo after a service, the two would stand in the foyer, and Andy would simply hold Mai in his arms while she cried.

After the third day, the services had gotten a little easier, and Mai didn't always cry after them. But sometimes, she would find herself doing a mundane task during the day, and for some reason (maybe she'd overcooked the rice by mistake, or maybe the stitching in the dress she was mending wasn't completely straight) she would just feel like crying. If Andy was nearby, then he would hold her until she stopped, saying nothing the entire time. On nights when she didn't feel like cooking, Andy would walk into town for take-out. After the first memorial service, when he'd tried to cheer her up by making botamochi, they had both decided that he should not do any more cooking.

 _ _At least that was good for a laugh,__ Mai thought. __And I definitely needed one.__ The tea was almost ready now, so Mai gathered up two cups, and some sticks of incense, and placed them on the tray next to the pot. She filled the cups with green tea, and then got a bottle of sake out of one of the cabinets, and poured a little into one of the cups, making sure it overflowed and that a small amount spilled onto the tray.

"For luck," she said out loud as she stoppered the bottle. She then picked up the tray and headed out to the courtyard, where Hanzo Shiranui's memorial Butsudan still rested. Mai had cleaned up some of the offerings after the burial (the carnations had been starting to wilt), but a few still remained, among them Andy's wrist guards. Mai remembered waking up the day after the burial to find them sitting on top of the ornate, multi-tiered cabinet, and how she had barged into Andy's room (even though he was still asleep) and given him a great big kiss for it.

Mai paused in front of the Butsudan, and bowed her head. "Kobanwa, Ojisama," she said to the portrait of Hanzo that still hung from the cabinet, then got down on her knees on the courtyard stones and placed the tray between her and the Butsudan. She picked up the incense sticks and slid the narrow ends into cracks between the stones, then produced a book of matches from the folds of her black kimono and lit them.

She picked up one of the teacups from the tray, the one without sake, and raised it at the Butsudan. "Kanpai, Papa Hanzo." She took a small sip of tea. "I hope you're well tonight." The perfume of the incense started to drift through the courtyard, and Mai noticed that there were a few burned-down sticks next to the ones she had just lit.

"I see that your deshi left you an offering earlier," she said. "Did you and Andy have a nice talk? Or did he not say anything? I remember that first year he was here, it was always so hard getting more than one or two words out of him, even after his Japanese improved." She sighed. "He really has been so great through all of this. I'm sure by now you've figured out that I'm in love with him, that I'd gladly marry him, should he ever decide that's what he wants. And I don't care what the rest of the family thinks. They can disown me, if they want to. I know I should have told you this while you were here. But... even before you were called home, I think you always knew. I never could keep anything from you.

"Do you remember when I was six, and that bad storm hit during baiyu? You and Tou-chan both told me not to practice indoors with my fans, so of course I did anyway, and I chipped Obāsama's figurine, that porcelain whale that first belonged to my great-grandmother. I thought I had fixed it up good as new, but you still figured out what I had done. And you and father both remembered to give me extra practice after the rains stopped. I had so much mud on me by nightfall, that Tou-chan asked if I was training to be a ninja, or a pig."

Mai laughed at the memory, one of those things that was only funny now that she was an adult. "So, yes. I'm sure you knew that I love Andy with all of my heart. I have since high school. There's never been anyone else. That's why I never went out on more than one date with any of those would-be suitors while Andy was gone, in the rare moments when I actually said 'yes' to a date. But... I still don't know if Andy loves __me.__ I've told him I love him many times, and even though he's gotten so much better over the last year with showing affection, I've never actually heard him say 'I love you' to me. And I can't read him, either. I've always liked to think I have a sixth sense when it comes to what people are feeling, but Andy is the one person whose feelings I've never been able to read. Sometimes I think that's one of the reasons we're meant for each other."

She had other concerns about Andy, but they were a little too personal to share with her grandfather. Foremost among them was the fact that she and Andy still slept in separate rooms. Mai had not yet moved into the Master Bedroom, and would not for another few months, to allow a respectful period of mourning to go by before moving Hanzo's things. But technically, she and Andy were no longer under Hanzo's roof. Even if Andy wasn't ready to make their relationship a sexual one, Mai had figured that they could at least share a bed. And she didn't know what was making him reluctant. She knew Andy found her attractive, she saw that in his eyes whenever he looked at her. But she wasn't going to press that now. It was still too soon after the funeral.

Mai took another sip of tea. "I'm sorry, Ojisama. I didn't mean to start rambling about my love life. How are you doing? Is the rest of the family with you? If grandmother is there, tell her I still wear her keepsake almost every day." For a moment, Mai fingered the ornamental hairpin at the base of her ponytail. "It makes me feel closer to her. Just like my hair makes me feel closer to Oka-chan. Tou-chan always said my hair was just like hers. That's why I've always kept it long. If Tou-chan is there, too, please tell him that..."

Mai heard a small snap on the ground behind her, and she immediately stopped talking and turned her head, her eyes scanning the courtyard. She saw no one. "Andy?" She called. "This conversation is private. Come on, you should know better!"

Whoever it was did not reply. Mai set the teacup down and rose to her feet. She took a deep breath, and focused. There was someone close by, but she could tell it wasn't Andy. Their chi did not feel familiar.

Mai heard a click, followed by several loud pops, and quickly did a back-flip just as a small hail of bullets ricocheted off the stones where she had been standing. Mai continued to flip towards the overhang that surrounded the courtyard, side to side in serpentine motion, feeling more bullets race by her. When she reached the overhang, she quickly hid behind one of the vertical wooden beams that supported it.

From her hiding place, she heard more gunfire, but she knew the wood that shielded her was thick enough to stop the bullets, so she took a few moments to collect herself and try to assess the situation.

Mai had not been expecting an attack in her own home, so she had not been wearing her kunoichi uniform under her kimono, and it wasn't like she could just rip her clothes off and magically __will__ the garment onto her body. She had tried before, but had only successfully done that once, and she suspected that the only reason it worked was due to the urgency of the situation (at the time she'd done it, Andy was being attacked).

Without her gi, she couldn't utilize any of her pyrokinetic attacks. But she wasn't completely defenseless. She had fans up her sleeves and down the front of her kimono. After thinking for a few seconds, Mai grabbed the hem of her dress and tore away the fabric below her knees. That should at least give her some better mobility. She then pulled a fan from her sleeve just as she saw a black blur of movement from her right side.

"Kachousen!" She shouted, tossing the fan towards the assailant who had just appeared at the other end of the overhang. He was raising his Uzi to fire, when the fan struck him on the hand, causing him to drop his gun.

Mai had started to sprint towards him before the fan had found its mark. The man reached down with his other hand to retrieve the gun, but Mai did a forward somersault towards the ceiling of the overhang, planted her feet against it for a split second, then pushed herself forward, elbow first.

"Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi!" She cried as she plowed into the gunman with her Deadly Ninja Bee attack. Without her fighting outfit, she could not summon any flames to strengthen it, but her elbow still struck the man hard in the solar plexus, pushing the wind from him.

Without giving him a chance to recover, Mai grabbed him by the collar and slammed her palm hard against his face. The sound of cartilage snapping in his nose was music to the ninja girl's ears.

He was out cold now, so Mai took a moment to look him over. He was dressed in black from head to toe, with a ski mask over his head. Mai pulled the mask off and saw a face she didn't recognize. She didn't have long to ponder, however, as the clatter of footsteps on stone brought her head up.

She dropped the unconscious man and looked back in the direction she'd come from, saw two more men dressed in black with ski masks and Uzis coming towards her. She tossed three fans in their direction, not even aiming this time as they were a diversion, and then sprinted across the courtyard towards the dojo's entrance. She was halfway there when the men recovered from her fan attack and opened fire. Mai did a series of flips and somersaults as she moved to try and make herself a smaller target.

 _ _Andy, I sure hope you can hear these gunshots,__ she thought as she reached the fusuma and dove headfirst through it, not even bothering to slide it open. Once inside the dojo, Mai tried to focus, to tune out the sound of her heart pounding in order to listen for footsteps. The two assailants outside were making their way back towards the door Mai had just dove through, and she thought she heard someone else moving through the hallway to her right.

Mai went left instead, vaulting her slender body forward in a long leap, followed by several rolls as she hit the floor. She rounded the corner and almost ran directly into another attacker. The masked man was startled by Mai's sudden appearance, and forgot he was holding his Uzi. Mai flung another fan, disarming him, then raced forward and did a vertical leap, this one ending with her knees resting on the assailant's shoulders. She locked her legs around his head and did a quick flip, releasing the leg-lock when she was halfway through the turn and sending the man flying down the corridor, where he struck the far wall.

Mai landed on her feet, just as the two men from outside caught up to her. They might have superior weapons, but Mai still knew the lay of this dojo better than them. She pulled out another fan, slashed it at the wall to her right in order to weaken the structure, then dove through it into another room just as the two men started shooting, spraying bullets up the corridor.

After she was through the wall, Mai got on the floor as flat as she could, hearing the sounds of more bullets tearing through the wall over her head. "When the hell did our opponents start using guns?" She asked out loud to no one in particular. She glanced around, and saw that she was in one of the sitting rooms. Mai quickly rolled across the floor towards the sunken area where a table would normally go, and got down inside it as flat as she could.

Out in the hallway, she could hear the sound of guns being reloaded. "Andy, where __are__ you?" She whispered. "I'm starting to run out of fans!"

The proper door to the room was behind her, and Mai was so intent on the hole in the wall that she almost didn't hear another attacker coming through the door. He glanced around the room, for a moment not seeing Mai as she was hiding in the sunken center of the floor. As he was looking to the left, Mai took that moment to spring up and throw a fan at his arm, aiming for a pressure point.

The fan struck the inside of the man's elbow, and Mai was rewarded with a faint snap as the projectile tore the tendon there. Startled, the man dropped his gun. Mai rushed him and, after a few well-aimed kicks, he was laying on the ground next to his weapon.

Mai could not hear anything else outside in the hall she had come from. She ran to the sitting room door, and after peeking out and seeing nothing, she exited the room and made a left. Her bedroom was this way. Once she got there, it would take seconds for her to quick-change into her fighting outfit, then the odds would be a bit more in her favor.

The attack was sudden. Without warning, a masked man tore through the wall to her left and kneed her in the belly, sending her sprawling to the ground. Mai quickly regained her feet, but the first attacker had been rejoined by his companion. They stood on either side of Mai, less than ten feet away, with their Uzis pointed at her.

"You're pretty fast, sweet cheeks," said one of the men, in Japanese. "But I bet you're not fast enough to dodge bullets at this range, from two different people."

Mai shook her head. There was nothing to do now except stall for time until Andy showed up. "You have me," she said as she raised her hands. "So, I guess now you're gonna tie me up so your boss can question me, right?"

The masked man shook his head. "Our orders were specific. No prisoners, no witnesses."

"Oh, come on!" Shouted Mai, using her most exasperated tone. "You're not doing this right at all! We're supposed to fight until I knock you all out or you capture me, and then you're supposed to tie me up and question me, or take me to your boss so he can question me. And why are you using guns, anyway? You've never done that before. For bad guys, you sure are lousy at following the rules. If I weren't..."

"Enough!" Shouted the other man. "You have quite a mouth. Too bad we have to shut it now."

He raised his gun, and his companion did the same. "It's not personal, sweet cheeks," the first man said. "Just business."

Mai bit her lower lip, and shut her eyes tight. __Andy...__ She thought, saying his name like it was a prayer.

"Hishou-ken!" Mai's eyes snapped open at the sound of Andy Bogard's cry. A ball of bright blue chi energy raced up the corridor and struck the man in front of Mai. He pitched forward, firing his uzi as a reflex action. Mai leaped out of the way, the bullets missing her by inches and striking the assailant behind her, ripping into his thigh and belly.

The wounded man dropped his gun, but was still conscious. In a sudden burst of hot anger, Mai slammed her fan against one of his bleeding gunshot wounds, eliciting a shrill scream of agony from the man, after which she delivered a kick to the side of his head that knocked him out cold.

Andy took care of the other assailant, then stepped over to Mai and wrapped his arms around her. Despite the fact that they might still be in danger, Mai took a moment to return the embrace. "Are you hit?" Andy asked her.

"No," said Mai. "I'm okay. Thanks, Andy."

"I raced back here as soon as I heard the gunshots," Andy said. "Who are these men?"

"I don't know," Mai answered honestly. She knelt and pulled the ski mask from one of the unconscious attackers, saw another face she didn't recognize. "They're Japanese, but beyond that, I don't know anything else about them."

"How many are there?" Andy asked, keeping his eyes fixed on the end of the hallway.

"Five that I've seen, so far," said Mai. "We should search the dojo for any more."

"First things first," said Andy. "We should find the nearest phone and call the police and an ambulance, then we should tie up the ones who are already knocked out."

Mai nodded. "Right." Andy started for the kitchen, and Mai followed him, her eyes occasionally glancing back the way they had come, holding her fan at the ready...

* * *

Several hours later, the police and paramedics had been and gone, carting four of the assailants off to the lock-up in Mino, while the fifth was taken to the local hospital to be airlifted to Tokyo, as Mino's medical facilities were not equipped to perform the surgery that the man needed.

Mai and Andy had searched the dojo and the grounds before police arrived and found no one else. After the police had shown up, the two had stayed in the kitchen as the house was swept for evidence, giving statements when asked to, but otherwise staying quiet.

Now, they were sitting at the kitchen table. Mai was wearing her kunoichi uniform (having changed into it after the police had been called), and was nursing a cup of sake, trying to calm her nerves before bed. She didn't feel like mending the walls tonight, she and Andy could do that tomorrow. "At least grandfather's Butsudan wasn't hit by gunfire," she said absently, not really talking to Andy, who sat across from her.

Andy nodded. "Mai," he said to her. "I know you wouldn't have told the police if these men were from another ninja clan, because that business stays within the family. Now that we're alone..."

Mai shook her head. "There hasn't been a chinofukushu between the clans in this prefecture in over a hundred years, and I can't think of a single reason why someone would want to start one up again. Besides, another clan would have sent their own ninja to do the job. These men were just hired thugs, not ninja."

"How do you know?"

"Ninja would never use guns," Mai said, and took a sip of sake.

For a time, they were silent. Then Andy told her: "Mai, I should have gotten here sooner. I'm sorry."

Mai reached across the table, gently took his hand. "You're only human. Andy. You got here as soon as you could. And you got here in time, too. Thank you for saving me." She smiled, and gave his hand a squeeze.

Andy nodded, though Mai could tell by the look on his face that he was still troubled by something. She finished the rest of her drink, and then moved to the other side of the table. "Andy, I have a request," she said.

"Yes, Mai?"

"Will you... will you sleep in my bed with me tonight?" Andy gave her on odd look then, and before he could say anything, Mai placed her hands on his shoulders. "I am _not_ asking you to have sex, unless that's what you want. You can sleep in your clothes, if it will make you more comfortable. And if you want, I can sleep in my clothes, too. I... I just don't want to be alone tonight. I want to be next to you. Please?"

Andy sat there for a moment, in thought. Then, he nodded. "Okay, Mai. I will."

He got up from the table, and Mai slipped an arm around his waist. The two made their way out of the kitchen, and down the hall towards Mai's bedroom. "Did you leave the door open?" Andy asked her, noticing that the shoji leading into Mai's room was not shut. She normally kept it shut.

"No," said Mai. She reached down the front of her gi, and pulled out a fan. The two of them cautiously entered the room... and found no one. Everything looked to be undisturbed. Then Mai looked over at the futon and gave a small gasp.

A plain white envelope was pinned to the wall above Mai's bed, held in place by a kunai. The name ANDY BOGARD appeared to be written on it in English. Andy walked over and pulled the kunai from the wall, then took the envelope and opened it.

Mai saw Andy's blue eyes open wide as he peeked inside the envelope, then she saw the color drain from his face, leaving it a sickly shade of ashen. Andy's jaw clenched, he sucked in air sharply through his nose. She walked over to his side, and got a brief glimpse of what looked to be a black and white Polaroid photograph before Andy closed the envelope and tucked it into his belt.

"Andy?" Mai asked. "What is that?"

Andy stood there as if he had not heard. "Andy?" Mai asked again, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Andy shook his head. "It may be nothing... or everything. Sorry, Mai, I need to check something." He turned and started to leave the bedroom.

"Andy?" Mai called after him. "What is it? Andy, please tell me."

Andy did not look back, instead he continued towards the door as if he hadn't heard. Mai followed him.

"Andy, please don't do this," she said. "Don't shut me out again. Andy, talk to me. Please! Tell me what's wrong. Andy? Andy, please talk to me!"

Mai caught up to him as he moved down the hallway. "Come on, Andy, talk to me. Don't walk away from me. Andy, please!" She reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, and felt him shrug away from it.

"Not now, Mai!" He snapped at her, louder than he intended to. Mai's deep brown eyes went wide, her lip quivered.

Andy shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mai," he said, his tone more even. "Just... not now." He turned and continued down the hallway, and Mai did not follow. She heard his bedroom door slide open, and then shut again.

"Andy..." She called faintly to him one more time. Then she went back into her own room, shut the door, sank to her knees, and began to weep bitterly.

* * *

A few miles away from the Shiranui dojo, a dark-haired man in a police uniform walked along the side of the road. Underneath his sunglasses, his eyes remained fixed on the lights of the village of Mino, which slowly loomed larger as he walked towards it.

When he was right on the edge of town, he removed both the cap, and also the blue vest with the word POLICE written on it in Japanese characters, then wadded them into a ball and carried them the rest of the way back to his hotel. Upon arriving, he unlocked the door to his room, snapped on the light, and entered. He tossed the hat and vest onto the bed, sat down at the desk, then picked up the phone and began to dial.

After a few rings, a deep voice on the other side said: "Yes?"

"The package was delivered," said the man in sunglasses.

"Any casualties, Mr. Ripper?" Asked the voice.

"No, sir. Andy Bogard and his ninja squeeze both survived."

"I wasn't expecting that street trash to succeed, anyway. Not against those two. Killing one or both of them would have just been an added bonus. The attack was meant to provide you with the cover you needed to get in and out unnoticed."

"Understood," said Ripper. "Though I'd like to add that they barely survived. The men disobeyed your orders and brought guns to the fight."

There was a momentary pause at the other end. Then: "And where are these foolish ones now?"

"Four of them are in jail here in Mino, the fifth is probably at Tokyo General Hospital under guard."

"Well, that shouldn't stop you from making sure they're all dealt with before you get on your plane tomorrow."

Ripper smirked, though he knew that the boss couldn't see it. He just loved getting orders like these. "No, sir. I'll take care of it."

"Good. That will be all."

Ripper hung up the phone, then pulled up the cuff of his pants, making sure his knife was in its ankle sheath. Satisfied that it was, he put the cap and vest of his disguise back on, and exited his hotel room.

* * *

 ** **Somewhere in Florida****

Geese Howard smiled as he hung up the phone. He glanced over at his bodyguard, who was staring intently out the window of the hotel room, clutching his staff like he was expecting someone to crash in on them at any minute. "Something on your mind, Billy?" He asked.

Billy Kane was silent for a moment, weighing his next words carefully. He'd learned long ago never to question the boss's orders, both in public and in private. Given Howard's obsession with power, the man never wanted to appear weak, and lack of control over one's subordinates was a definite sign of weakness. So Billy needed to use caution when choosing his response.

"Just surprised you didn't order me to finish Terry Bogard off," said Billy with a shrug, still gazing out the window. "He was unconscious, at our mercy."

"You obviously don't play chess, Billy," said Geese. "Right now, we simply move the pieces into position. It's too early for anyone to die just yet. But they will eventually. First, however, we need to get Terry Bogard and all of his friends in the same place. That way, he can _watch_ them die. And after we have destroyed everyone and everything that still matters to him, _then_ we will finally put him out of his misery. And ours. Besides, my power may have grown, but so has his. Remember that he has defeated a god. So I must become stronger than a god, in order to truly make him suffer."

Billy nodded. "Whatever you say, sir," he said, as he continued to gaze out the window. Behind him, Geese moved to one of the room's queen beds, sat down on it in the lotus position, shut his eyes and began to meditate.

 _ _Soon, Terry Bogard__ , he thought to himself, the smile lingering on his face.

To be continued...


	6. Chapter 5

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games, or the anime.

* * *

 _Chapter Five: Bad Blood_

 **South Town City Hall**

The atmosphere on the steps of City Hall as the mayor finished his announcement was, to put it simply, one of confusion. Both the members of the press, as well as the few members of the mayor's cabinet who had not been in the loop, whispered among themselves.

On the other side of the street, Detective Mary Ryan stood with her hands in her jacket pockets, her face unreadable as usual. She imagined that half the conversations going on right now were people asking one another if they'd just heard the mayor correctly. That was the only reason she could think of that several minutes had passed, but no one had yet asked the obvious question.

Finally, someone close to the front of the crowd raised his hand. "Frank Lanier, Associated Press," said the man. "Mayor Santos, your entire campaign was built around the promise of eliminating what you referred to as 'unlawful street fights.' Your office was working very closely with the South Town Police Department for the last few months towards this end. Why would you suddenly decide to proclaim that the city will be hosting a new King of Fighters Tournament next month?"

Mayor Santos, a short, balding man in a gray suit with horn-rimmed glasses, stood behind the podium at the top of the stairs and nervously cleared his throat. "Over the last few months," he spoke into the row of microphones in front of him. "We have found that the biggest opposition to our plan has been coming from residents who feel that the street fight has become a part of this city's... ahem... cultural heritage. We look upon this tournament, legitimately sponsored of course, as a way of giving something back to those individuals, and providing them an outlet to... display their talents in a safe setting."

Mary frowned at that. Even a grade-schooler could tell that was stupid logic. Like taking someone's ice cream away, then giving it back an hour later, only to take it again after they'd eaten just one bite.

Frank saw this, as well. "But aren't you giving them back something only to take it away again?" He asked. "After this tournament is over, won't street fighting still be illegal here?"

Mayor Santos cleared his throat again. "I'm very sorry, but I have another engagement that requires my immediate attention." He gestured to a woman on his right with short, dark hair, impeccably dressed in pressed black slacks and a blazer. "Dotty Simmons, our public relations liaison, is qualified to answer any and all additional questions. Please excuse me." He gave a small wave to the crowd, then turned from the podium and walked inside without looking back.

The dark-haired woman took the podium, but Mary had heard enough. She donned a pair of sunglasses and a pair of black fingerless gloves, then walked towards her waiting motorcycle, the wheels in her mind already turning.

* * *

Moving quickly, but not so quickly as to draw attention to himself, Mayor Santos stepped off the elevator, and double-timed it towards his office, his polished shoes making little noise on the velvet carpeting. He stole a quick glance around, and then opened the door to his office and entered.

Three men were standing in front of his desk: a dark-haired man in a black suit and sunglasses, and a blond man dressed in jeans and a black leather jacket, with a bandanna on his head in the style of the British flag, were both flanking the third man, also blond, who was taller, dressed in a dark suit and red power tie, with a scar running down his left eye.

"Your bodyguards?" The scarred man asked as the mayor nervously approached the desk.

"Were called off, as you instructed , Mr. Howard," said Mayor Santos, who was visibly sweating. "They're down in the lobby. The proclamation is on my desk. Please... I did what you wanted."

Geese Howard turned his head slightly to the right, his cold eyes still on the mayor. "Mr. Ripper?"

The dark-haired man in the suit sat down behind the desk, scanned the large document sitting on it that bore Santos's signature. "Looks legit, sir," he said after a minute.

Geese held his left hand out to the man in the jacket. "Billy?"

Billy Kane pulled a radio from the pocket of his jacket, passed it to Geese.

* * *

 _Nice neighborhood,_ Hopper thought to himself as he cast a quick glance around from his vantage point. _Maybe I'll retire here someday._

He was on a rooftop across the street from the mansion that Mayor Santos called home. He had done some scouting last night, and found that this roof provided the most unobstructed view of the grounds, so he had set himself up here.

Making himself as flat on the gravel surface as he could, Hopper peered through the scope of his sniper rifle at the mansion's spacious yard. A woman was sitting on a blanket on the bright green grass, playing with two small children who looked to be between the ages of five and eight. Hopper looked down and checked his watch. _Two more minutes_ , he thought as he clicked off the rifle's safety. Already, he was mapping out the order he would take the shots in. _The mother first, so she doesn't need to see what happens to the other two..._

Suddenly, the headset radio he was wearing crackled to life. "Mr. Hopper, do you read?" He heard Geese Howard, the deep voice slightly tinny from static.

Hopper thumbed the safety back on, and spoke into the headset's mouthpiece. "Loud and clear, sir. What's up?"

"Stand down," Geese said. "I repeat, stand down. The mayor has performed as asked. Pack up and head home."

"Yes, sir," said Hopper. He popped the clip out of the rifle, then opened a black attache case lying nearby and started to disassemble the weapon.

* * *

Back in the mayor's office, Geese Howard passed the radio back to Billy. "Relax, your honor," he said to the still sweating mayor. "They're fine now. And as long as you continue to cooperate, they will stay that way. However, should you decide to tell anyone about this... just remember that we _can_ get to you."

The three men started towards the door of the office. "We'll show ourselves out, Mr. Mayor," Geese said with a cold smile. "Enjoy the rest of your day. We'll be in touch." After the door clicked shut, signaling their departure, Mayor Santos found himself sweating even more profusely...

* * *

 **Mino, Japan – The Shiranui Dojo**

It was after dinner, and Mai Shiranui had gone to the dojo's gym to work off some aggression. She had not reacted well to the attack having taken place so soon after Hanzo's burial. Since then, it seemed that when she wasn't blowing off steam in the gym she was in a deep depression, but never anywhere in between.

Of course, Andy Bogard realized that he probably could have been acting better in the week since the attack. After he had checked his belongings that night, he had left his room and gone back down the hall to Mai's room. Through the closed shoji, he had heard her crying. A large voice inside of him kept saying that he should go inside, apologize to her again, and then comfort her, since she had said she didn't want to be alone that night. But then another voice told him that if he did that, Mai would insist on knowing the reason for his sudden change in mood, so Andy had quietly turned and gone back to his own room.

It had been a struggle for Andy since then. He was still trying to provide comfort for Mai in her grief, but he was also trying to avoid talking about what had happened that night. Mai had definitely noticed the change in him, Andy acting a little more like his old self again, but so far she had chosen not to confront him yet.

 _It's my past, not hers_ , Andy thought. _If this is what I think it is, then I can't involve her in it. As soon as I've dealt with this, then I can focus all my attention on her again. But for now, it's best that she doesn't know._

Andy now sat in the dojo's kitchen with Joe Higashi, who had come down from Tokyo by train. Andy had a cup of tea in his hands while Joe was sipping on a bottle of Kirin. Joe nodded to the photograph on the table in between them, the sole contents of the envelope that Andy had found on the night of the attack. "You're sure about this?" He asked Andy.

"I'm pretty sure," Andy said with a grim nod.

Joe picked up the photo, and studied it again. It was black and white, and showed an old man with a white beard standing in between two boys who looked to be in their early teens. One was blond, and the other was dark-haired. Whoever had sent the photo to Andy had taken a lit cigarette, and burned holes in the faces of the old man and the dark-haired youth. Joe held it up and looked at Andy through one of the holes. "Because of a burned photograph found in an envelope with your name on it that someone pinned to your girlfriend's wall?"

"There's more to it than that," Andy explained. "I need to give you a little background." He took a long sip of tea and then continued. "I'm sure you've guessed that the old man in that photograph is Master Tung. The two boys standing with him are my father and Geese Howard. Master Tung showed me that picture once. It was taken with my father's camera, and Master said there were only two copies. My father had one, I know because I found it in his things after he was buried, and brought it with me to Japan. I thought Master Tung had the other, but after he died, Terry and I were there when inventory was taken of the belongings in his dojo, and Master's copy of that picture wasn't among them."

"Hmmm." Joe took a pull at his beer. "And this isn't your dad's copy?"

"First thing I checked on the night that I found it," said Andy. "Jeff's copy is still in with my things, untouched. And the way Master Tung talked about it, I don't think anyone else knew about that picture except the people in it."

Joe stared thoughtfully at the ceiling. "Could Geese Howard have any friends?"

Andy snorted. "Him? I don't think Geese believed in friends. He would have just seen them as obstacles between him and power. And the closest thing he had to family is dead."

Joe nodded. "I had an exhibition match in Germany two months ago, and from what I could gather from the locals while there, Krauser's right hand guy... um... what was his name?"

"Laurence Blood?"

"Right. He apparently retired to somewhere in Spain and owns a vineyard there, I think. The rest of Krauser's old servants have found employment with other wealthy households all over Europe, and his castle has been converted into a national landmark. So it doesn't look like Krauser has any heirs who might be causing trouble. I guess there are no other suspects. But, still... Geese Howard back from the dead?"

Andy shrugged. "They dragged the lake after Terry fought Geese, and his body was never found. We assumed that he couldn't have survived the wound Terry gave him. He may have just been hiding these last three years. Whoever left that picture seemed to want to send a clear message, since both my father and Master Tung's faces have been burned out."

"Would also explain why his goons are still working together," said Joe. "By the way, I dug around for some news articles, and it looks like the night after I left Hong Kong, there was a robbery."

Andy raised an eyebrow. "Really? Of what?"

Joe pulled a piece of lined note paper from his back pocket, unfolded it, and started to read. "A museum was displaying a bunch of artifacts from the Qin Dynasty in China, which I think was about 2,200 years ago. Strange thing is, there was lots of valuable stuff there, irreplaceable items that were one of a kind, probably worth millions to a black market collector. But the thief or thieves only took one thing and left the rest of the displays alone."

"What did they take?"

Joe squinted at his handwriting. "Something called a Jin Scroll. I haven't found anything else about what it is, or what it does."

Andy shrugged. "Maybe I should pay Master Jubei a visit and see if he's heard of it. I think Mai could probably use some alone time."

Joe said nothing to that, and simply took a sip of beer. Then he asked: "Did they ever get anything out of the guys who attacked her?"

Andy shook his head. "They're all dead. The four in the lock-up were found the morning after the attack with their throats cut. The guy at Tokyo General was found a few hours later with drain cleaner injected into his IV."

"Hm. So no way to know who sent them, then." Joe looked thoughtful for a moment. "Andy, have you spoken to Terry recently?"

"No," said Andy. "Why?"

"Apparently, the mayor of South Town has decided to go ahead and proclaim that the city would be hosting a new King of Fighters tournament starting at the first of next month."

Andy's blue eyes came wide open. "What? Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"I thought maybe Terry had called you, too," Joe said as he sipped his Kirin. "But that's not all. Terry also said that he had an encounter recently. Someone he saw in the woods behind South Town Cemetery said his name, and then he was hit by an energy attack. He thought the energy blast looked like one of Geese's Reppukens, but he never saw the attacker's face."

Andy shook his head. He didn't know why Terry hadn't called him, but he knew Terry was still dealing with some personal demons. Perhaps Andy's relationship with Mai reminded Terry of his own doomed romances? Andy pushed the thought away. There were more pressing matters right now. "I don't believe in coincidences," he told Joe. "Not after everything we've been through in the past. Those thugs attacking Mai, the attack on Terry, this picture showing up out of the blue, the King of Fighters tournament coming back... someone is sending a message that they want us back in South Town. Maybe it's Geese, and maybe it's not, but someone wants us there."

Joe nodded. "So, what do we do?"

"The only thing we can: we enter the tournament, find out who's behind all of this, and if it is Geese Howard, we put an end to it. For good, this time. I'll call Terry and see if he can register us, and also ask him to keep his eyes open for any info as the tournament gets nearer. And I'll do some research of my own, see if Master Jubei knows anything about a Jin Scroll. Can you arrange transportation to the States for you and me?"

"What about Mai?" Joe asked.

"No," Andy said. "This is not her fight. This has to do with bad blood that started before I ever met her. I can't let her get involved in my old vendettas. I won't."

"So, what are you gonna tell her?"

"I don't know yet. It's funny. I'm more afraid of having that conversation than I am of the idea that Geese might be alive. But I'll have to think of something."

"Okay, Andy, I'll make the travel arrangements, then," said Joe. "Transportation for two."

"Make that three." Andy and Joe turned their heads as one to see Mai standing in the kitchen doorway, still dressed in her kunoichi uniform, casually twirling a fan in one hand.

Andy's mouth squeezed into a tight line. He wondered how much of the conversation Mai had heard. Knowing his luck, she'd definitely heard the part about him wanting to leave her behind. "Mai, are you sure you're up for this?" He asked her. "You did just bury your grandfather..."

"And I'll continue to mourn him in my own way," said Mai, fixing her brown eyes on Andy with a gaze that could have cut diamond. "But not by sitting here moping while the people I know and love are off fighting in another country. I've done enough moping these past few weeks. Grandfather wouldn't want me to just sit at home and cry. Not while you need my help."

"I understand that, Mai," said Andy. "But you're master of this dojo now. Don't you think..."

"And as master of this dojo," Mai interrupted him. "I'll help you find the cowards responsible for insulting both myself and my grandfather's legacy by sending thugs to attack me in my home, and I'll teach them a lesson." She crossed over to where they were sitting, and slammed her fan down on the tabletop. "Count me in!"

For once in his life, Joe had no sarcastic remark. "Three it is!" He said.

To be continued...


	7. Chapter 6

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games or the anime. "Dancing in the Dark" is written by Bruce Springsteen, and is copyright Columbia Records. I am posting this fic for free, and make no money off of it.

* * *

 _Chapter Six: The Spirit Scrolls_

 **South Town Police Department - 37th Precinct**

"I never thought I'd hear myself saying this," Mary Ryan said out loud to no one in particular. "But I'm actually starting to regret not having a partner." She yawned and filled a cup of coffee from one of the metal urns resting on the cabinet in the corner.

"Did I just hear you right, Ryan?" One of the only officers in the break room asked. "What happened, one too many blows to the head working your new assignment?"

Mary turned and saw a thirty-something man with thinning dark hair sitting at one of the chipped Formica tables, eating a chili dog and a diet soda. "If I ever want to get brain damage, Hudson," she quipped. "I'll try eating your wife's cooking." She sipped the coffee, which was cold, and made a face.

"Or you can keep drinking that," Hudson fired back. "That urn is still busted. Gotta go to the break room on the west side of the building if you want it hot."

Mary steeled herself, then gulped the rest of the grainy black liquid down like it was medicine. She crumpled the cup and tossed it into a trash bin. "Well, maybe with some of the new revenue the mayor keeps saying that this tournament will bring in, he can buy us a new one. And maybe a cappuccino machine. I'm telling you, Hudson, I have put in too damn much overtime. Every street fighter in the goddamn state has taken the King of Fighters tournament to mean that this city is their fucking playground. I've stopped counting the number of fights I've broken up this week."

Hudson nodded. "You look bad. Well, you always look bad, so worse than usual. Why don't you start carrying your issue? Might make your job easier."

Mary cracked her knuckles. "Because I've never needed a gun, except as a paperweight. Nice talking with you." She started towards the door.

"No it wasn't," she heard Hudson quip as she made her way back out into the chaos of the precinct, weaving her way through the maze of desks and the traffic of officers, witnesses, and perps. She was almost to her office when she heard someone behind her call her name. She turned and saw a patrolman with thick glasses motioning to her.

"Cecil, give it up already," she growled at him. "I have the names of three officers who were there, who can all testify that you did _not_ make me smile, so you lost the bet."

"I... wasn't going to say anything about that, Detective Ryan," Cecil told her. "Just wanted to say that Captain Bowers wants a word with you."

Mary rubbed her temples for a moment, then turned and plunged back into the maze to make her way to the captain's office.

 _I hope that coffee I drank was poisoned_ , Mary thought to herself an hour later as she walked down the sidewalk. The meeting with the captain had gone as well as it could have gone. As in, Mary had resisted the urge to pick him up from his chair and throw him through the door of his office. She had never liked working for Bowers, anyway. He had been an inspector under Geese Howard's reign, supposedly one of the officers Geese had in his pocket. But those were rumors only, there had never been enough evidence to indict him. In the interest of goodwill, he had accepted a demotion to captain, and supposedly had been a model officer ever since.

Mary's green eyes flicked down to the manila folder she was carrying, which had HOWARD G written on the outside in black permanent marker. She wasn't crazy about her new assignment, but she had it, and so she would handle it just like she had handled her last assignment: by doing her homework.

"Nice to finally see you in broad daylight, detective," Mary heard a familiar voice behind her. She turned and saw Terry Bogard standing there, a newspaper tucked under his arm.

 _Just what I need right now,_ she thought as she tried to hide the folder behind her back. "I thought you said I was never going to see you again, Bogard," she huffed. "Typical men: nine times out of ten, they never can keep their promises."

Terry smirked at her. "Well, I was ready to leave," he said. "Then I took your advice." He showed Mary the front page of the paper he was carrying, the headline of which talked about the mayor's recent proclamation to have South Town host a new King of Fighters tournament.

Mary gritted her teeth. "Shit. You heard the news, then. Was really hoping you'd be gone before you heard it." Though her detective instinct told her that there was another reason Terry was still here, something that didn't involve the tournament. At least not directly. But there was something written on his face. She made a mental note of it.

"Don't worry, detective," Terry told her. "I will only be practicing for the tournament in gyms, not on the streets with other people. Scout's honor."

"Practice wherever the hell you want, Bogard," Mary quipped. "I just had a chat with my superiors, and they've moved me off my current assignment. At least until this farce the mayor has concocted is over."

"Oh," Terry said simply. "I'm sorry."

Mary's green eyes regarded him then with something that Terry thought was mirth, though her mouth remained neutral as always, neither smiling nor frowning. "You're doing it wrong, Bogard," she said. "That's not how you gloat."

Terry took on a mock-wounded look. "Far be it from me to kick someone when they're down," he said. "Master Tung trained me better than that."

"I'm sure that's difficult for you," said Mary sarcastically. "So thank you."

Terry simply shrugged. Later on, Mary would have no idea why she asked this, but she suddenly found herself blurting out: "I was just on my way to get some lunch. Wanna come?"

"This isn't a date, is it?" Terry asked her suspiciously.

Mary raised both her hands. "Don't flatter yourself, Bogard. I'm hungry, so I am going to get something to eat. If you are hungry, too, and you happen to want to eat at the same place I am eating, and sit at the same table, well, it's a free country. Who am I to stop you? Besides, you know I'm strong enough to throw you if you get any ideas."

Terry laughed. "You drive a hard bargain, detective. Actually, I think I am a little hungry. So lead the way."

* * *

Mary took him to a diner a few blocks from where they had been speaking. She was obviously a regular, because the man behind the counter asked if she wanted her usual, to which Mary nodded yes.

"I come here because they have the best pastrami in South Town," Mary explained. "Though the jukebox in this place is also stuck on the same song."

Terry nodded, listening to the song emanating from the jukebox as Mary made her way towards the back of the diner:

 _I'm dying for some action_

 _I'm sick of sitting 'round here trying to write this book_

 _I need a love reaction_

 _Come on now baby gimme just one look_

 _You can't start a fire sitting 'round crying over a broken heart_

 _This gun's for hire_

 _Even if we're just dancing in the dark_

 _You can't start a fire worrying about your little world falling apart_

 _This gun's..._

The music cut off abruptly as Mary yanked the plug from the wall, and then took her seat at a table in the corner of the diner.

"I was listening to that, Ryan!" Shouted a man sitting at the counter.

"Then you're lucky it's not a crime to like that song, Jerry!" She shouted back at him.

Terry grinned, and after placing his own order at the counter, went and sat down across from the blond detective.

"I hate that song, too," said Mary.

"I dunno," said Terry. "I kinda like that one."

"Yeah, well, I'm paying this time, so if I wanna unplug the damn box, I will."

Terry laughed. "Are you sure you wanna pay?"

Mary scowled. "Yeah, why?"

"You'll see when the food comes out," Terry explained.

When their orders came out a short time later, this turned out to be true. "I thought I was hungry," quipped Mary. Her eyes went from the hot pastrami sandwich and seasoned potato chips on her plate over to Terry, who was working on a double bacon cheeseburger, onion rings, a Caesar salad, a bowl of chili and a slice of blueberry pie.

"Old habits, detective," Terry explained as he finished the salad and picked up his burger. "Before Jeff Bogard adopted us, then after he was killed and I was away for ten years on my training journey, eating three meals a day was never a guarantee. So whenever I had the opportunity to eat, I took it for all it was worth, since I never knew when the next opportunity would come along." He took a bite of burger, and then added with his mouth full: "Besides, chi-based attacks burn a lot of calories."

Mary nodded, and took a bite of her own sandwich. There was a long silence, during which they worked on their food. Then Terry asked: "Detective, I have to know. Why are you on the side of the law?"

Mary shrugged. "I believe in it."

"I feel like there's something else," said Terry. "And you don't need to answer if you don't want to. But the night we met, I watched your face when you took that guy down. You weren't smiling, but your eyes had that gleam in them, the same gleam I see in Andy's eyes when he and I fight, the same gleam I'm sure mine have every time I face an opponent: that natural high that comes with fighting someone. You were hoping he would resist arrest, because you _wanted_ to fight him. So I was wondering why you'd choose to join the police. I don't think you even carry a gun. Am I wrong?"

Mary shook her head. "You're not wrong. But who needs guns?" She raised her right hand, balled into a fist. "This will always be the deadliest weapon in a well-trained fighter's arsenal, and the only weapon that anyone with a single ounce of self-respect should ever reach for."

"Well, I have some friends who use weapons, very well I might add, so I might disagree with you there," said Terry. "But that type of thinking is definitely not the thinking of your typical police officer. So why are you with them? Is it just because you believe in the law?"

Mary was silent for a long time, thoughtfully chewing her food. Then she swallowed and took a sip of water. "I'm surprised you never chose the police, Bogard. You'd be a good detective."

Terry shook his head. "I'm happy with my place in the universe. Besides, there are times when police just can't do what needs to be done. I learned that lesson when my father was killed, I kept learning it during the ten years I was training, and I learned it a few more times after that in my travels with my friends."

Mary's green eyes once more took on that faraway look. Then she explained: "My father worked for the government, first in the FBI and then as Secret Service. Both he and my grandfather stressed every day that the skills I was learning would set me apart from most people. But that didn't mean that the people who don't have those skills are beneath me. We have a responsibility, an obligation to use those skills for a greater purpose. Without ethics, we're no better than men like Geese Howard. I think that's why my father got into his line of work. So I guess... doing what I do makes me feel closer to him."

Terry nodded. "He sounds like a good man. Does he still work for the government?"

Mary shook her head. She would later have no idea why she said this, but she found herself answering: "He's dead. He and his protege, the man who taught me Sambo, were both killed about two years ago while protecting the president from a terrorist attack. They saved the president's life... at the cost of their own." She stopped talking then, and her hand fingered the sleeve of her jacket, just like she'd done the other night in Richard's cafe.

Later, Terry would have no idea why he did this, but he reached over and placed his hand over hers. "I'm sorry, Mary," he said. "I can honestly say I know how you feel. Jeff Bogard wasn't my biological father... but he was still more of a father to me and Andy then anyone else we knew before him. So I consider him my real father. Losing him wasn't easy."

Mary looked down at his hand, then, her eyes clearly showing discomfort. So he quickly withdrew it. "Sorry," he muttered.

Mary shook her head, then the look was gone and her poker face was back. She finished the last bite of sandwich and started on the potato chips that were left on her plate. "So, are your friends coming to town for the tournament?" She asked Terry.

"What do you think?" Terry quipped.

"Well, I _know_ that you get funny ideas when the four of you are together. Your heads get swollen and you think that you _need_ to solve a mystery or save the world because no one else can. Well, let me give you some advice: try not to do that this time. This is just a tournament, nothing sinister about it, other than it being a major pain in my ass."

Terry laughed as he started on his pie. "Not to brag or anything," he said. "But I _have_ defeated a god. Should we have just waited for the police to show up then?"

"You're talking about the incident in the Dead Sea?" Mary asked.

Terry's jaw dropped. "That _can't_ be in my file. Me, Andy, Joe and Mai were the only surviving witnesses, and we're not supposed to talk about it in public, ever. The Israeli government's official statement is that the disturbance was an earthquake..."

"...And any strange lights anyone saw were caused by the very high salinity of the seawater reacting to some experimental new seismic equipment that was being tested in that area," Mary finished. "I read that myself. I heard the real truth through one of my father's old friends in the bureau, whose brother works in the Israeli embassy, who in turn has a drinking buddy who's a commander in the Sayeret Matkal. Last I checked, though, there were no sleeping gods or mystic armor in South Town. I was just starting to tolerate you, Bogard. So I would really hate to have to put you, or your brother, or one of your friends in cuffs."

"Joe might actually like being cuffed by you," Terry pointed out.

"Will he also like digging my boot out of his ass?"

Terry shrugged. "Maybe. Depends on how much he's had to drink." He laughed a little at that, while Mary simply smirked and made the same noises she had made the other night in the Pao Pao Cafe, blowing air out through her nostrils, trying to laugh but only partially succeeding.

Terry wiped his eye and then asked her: "So, if this is just a simple tournament, why are you walking around with Geese's old file? I thought that was a closed case."

The smirk faded from Mary's lips. "Homework," she said simply. "My new assignment is helping to work security for the tournament, I thought maybe the Howard file might have some intel on what the tournament was like back in Geese's day, give me an idea of what to expect."

Terry's expression also became serious. "If you want to know what to expect, I can tell you. In a word, it was dangerous. Me, Andy, Joe... we're all lucky to be alive. If it hadn't been for..." He went silent then, and Mary noticed that his eyes had the same look from the other night, when that purple-haired girl's picture had fallen from his wallet. "Never mind," he quickly said. "Forget it."

Mary chose not to press the issue, and simply nodded. "Well, we still don't know who's sponsoring this one," she said. "But if they pull any shit, I'll be sure to let them know that I'm dangerous, too."

Terry nodded. For the rest of lunch, neither one of them spoke, but like Mary out on the sidewalk, Terry had a feeling he wasn't getting the whole story.

* * *

 **Hida, Japan – The Yamada Dojo**

Master Jubei Yamada was meditating in the courtyard of his dojo when Andy arrived. He opened his eyes slowly as his student entered.

"Konnichi wa, sensei," Andy said as he bowed his head.

"Andy!" The old judo master exclaimed with a cackle. "Haven't seen you since the burial service!" He rose to his feet and bowed back.

"Sorry, Master," said Andy. "I know I haven't been around lately to train. But I've been busy helping Mai."

Jubei gave a solemn nod. "Understandable. When you have a man like Hanzo as your grandfather, losing him is not something you get over right away. And then those thugs attacked her so soon after his burial. How is she doing?"

Andy shrugged. "She has good days and bad days. She seems moodier since the attack, though."

"Funny, I called her as soon as I heard about the attack. She said the same about you." The old master saw the nervous look on his student's face, so he gave a shrug. "Ah, well. None of my business. Serious relationships were never my forte, and I'm too old for anything except wild flings at this point." He chuckled a bit at his own joke. "So, what brings you to my humble abode? Are you resuming your old training schedule?"

Andy shook his head. "Not quite yet, Master. I actually came hoping to get some information."

"And you chose to see me in person instead of calling?" Jubei asked him. "I'm touched!"

Andy shrugged. "Well, I wanted to give Mai some time to herself, in case she wanted to have a talk with Master Hanzo's Butsudan. I think that talking to him has really helped her a lot."

The judo master nodded, then crossed over the courtyard to where Andy stood and clapped him on the back. "Let's continue this inside."

Jubei led Andy inside his dojo and to the kitchen, where he immediately busied himself getting down a bottle of Koshu and two cups. "First things first, boy. You and I never drank a toast together to your old Koppou-Ken master at his burial. We're going to rectify that now."

Andy smiled. "All right, Master, but I'm here on business, so I will ONLY drink to Master Hanzo."

"You're no fun," Jubei said with a sad shake of his head as he poured a measure of the aged sake into each cup.

"I never was, Master, you know that," quipped Andy.

After they had drank their toast, Master Jubei brewed some tea, and the two of them moved to one of the dojo's sitting rooms. They made small talk for a bit, and then Andy relayed to his master all the information he had gotten from Joe about the museum robbery in Hong Kong.

For a time, the judo master puffed thoughtfully on his pipe. Then he said: "Well, I've never heard of a Jin Scroll specifically. But I am reminded of a story Tung once told me. About five thousand years ago, in Ancient China, there was a sage who supposedly discovered a means of immortality. Not of the flesh, but a way of preserving one's spirit on the mortal coil, retaining the knowledge and power gained in life, to be called upon when needed."

"What was it?" Andy asked.

"He devised a mantra and wrote it on a series of scrolls. When the first part of the mantra was read aloud, it would draw the spirit from the sage's body, preserving it inside the scroll. The spirit would remain there until another read the second part of the mantra, at which time the spirit would join with the body of whoever read the scroll, fusing the spirit of the scroll to that of the reader's, combining their knowledge and power.

"Which is eventually what happened. When the sage became so old and sick he could barely move, he read the first mantra and drew the spirit from his body into the scrolls. The second mantra was then read aloud by his young disciple. The sage's spirit entered the disciple's body, and the sage continued to live through the younger man, his knowledge and power added to that of the body he inhabited. He stayed there for the rest of the disciple's life, and when the disciple was an old man himself, he read the first mantra and put the old sage's spirit back into the scrolls.

"The secret of doing this has been jealously guarded over the millennia, but it's rumored that there are several spirit scrolls like that one written throughout China's history. Using them is no small feat, though. There is always more than one scroll: the first one, containing the preservation mantra, is used to draw out the spirit from whatever body it inhabits; the second scroll has the mantra of summoning, and sometimes there is more than one of these. You must be sure you possess every scroll before you begin. You must also read the mantra to the letter, in the exact same language it was written in. If there is more than one scroll, they must be read in the proper order, so you would need to know that, as well. And sometimes you would need a cipher, if the scroll's author did not want to make it easy for just anyone to access their spirit. I imagine each spirit scroll has its own cipher."

Jubei fell silent again, and re-lit his pipe. Andy was silent for a moment, as well, processing everything his master had said. Finally, he asked: "Did Master Tung say what these spirit scrolls could do, once the spirit had been joined to a living host?"

Master Jubei shook his head. "No. If I had to guess, I suppose it depends on the spirit that inhabits them. If the scrolls were crafted by a sage or philosopher, the reader might be endowed with insight and wisdom. Scrolls written by a warrior might give you strength and power far beyond your own abilities."

Andy steepled his fingers in front of his face, deep in thought. Considering everything he'd seen in his own travels, he was prepared to take this story at face value. If this Jin Scroll were a spirit scroll, Andy had an idea on the type of spirit it might contain if Geese Howard wanted it. And it wasn't a pleasant thought.

"Based on what Joe told me," said Andy. "It sounds like that scroll in Hong Kong was stolen by one of Geese Howard's men. Geese might still be alive."

Jubei raised an eyebrow at that. "So I suppose you'll be going on a trip soon?"

Andy nodded. "Joe is making the travel arrangements."

"Is Mai going, too?"

"Yes, Master, though I wish she weren't."

Jubei sipped his tea. "Well, if you want, I can come down and house-sit for her while you two are gone. Just in case one of her uncles comes sniffing around the dojo for a piece of Mai's inheritance."

"Thank you, Master," said Andy. "I'll let her know you offered."

Master Jubei suddenly took on a thoughtful look. Usually, when they talked about Mai, his dark eyes had a lecherous gleam. Now, they simply looked thoughtful. "Andy, how are you and Mai doing?"

For a moment, Andy was taken aback. It was not like his master to ask a question like that. "We're... fine," he said after a pause.

"Hm." Jubei puffed slowly on his pipe. "She seemed concerned when I talked to her. Like she felt that someone who means a lot to her was turning back into that withdrawn boy who broke her heart three years ago when he left Hanzo's dojo in the night without saying goodbye, and then couldn't even bother to call when he finally came back a year later."

"I've had a lot on my mind," Andy explained. "Mai wasn't there three years ago, the first time Terry and I fought Geese."

"You're right," the judo master said with a nod. "She wasn't there. And you were. Call me crazy, Andy, but you might consider telling her about it."

Andy finished his tea and rose from the table. "I'll need to think about that, Master." He bowed respectfully. "Thank you for your help. I'll show myself out."

He made it to the door when he heard Jubei call his name again. Andy turned and saw his master puffing on his pipe, once more looking thoughtful.

"I spoke to Hanzo about a week before he passed," said Jubei. "He must have sensed that his time was drawing near, because he asked me to keep an eye on that which was most precious to him, after he had left this world. I didn't ask him to specify, because it was obvious what he meant, but now I think that he wasn't just talking about Mai."

Andy said nothing, and simply nodded his head. So his master continued: "Andy, I have only one more piece of advice to give you on this matter: you could live to be a hundred, and never come close to finding another girl quite like Hanzo's granddaughter. I hope you realize that before you do something stupid, boy."

Andy bowed again. "Believe me, Master, I know how special she is."

For the entire train ride back to Mino, Andy gazed out the window, watching as the sun sank lower in the sky. He found himself remembering that night in South Town, Lily's broken body in Terry's arms, and the sadistic gleam in Geese Howard's eyes as he gazed down at them. Then Andy found himself remembering the Dead Sea, Terry screaming to the sky as he cradled Sulia, blood pouring from the mortal wound in her chest.

 _It's funny,_ he thought. _Right after that, both me and Mai were nearly killed by the actual God of War. I was trying to shield her, but he might have destroyed us both if Laocorn hadn't taken the brunt of that energy attack. And I'm still more afraid of Geese than I am of a god._

It was sundown by the time he got back to the Shiranui dojo. "I'm back!" He called from the foyer as he removed his shoes and socks.

"I'm in here!" He heard Mai's voice. Andy followed the sound of it to one of the sitting rooms, where he found Mai kneeling at the low table, sipping some tea and trying to make sense of Hanzo's old stock portfolio, to see what the dojo's money was currently invested in.

"None of this makes sense to me," she muttered. "I need to call grandfather's old accountant and set up a meeting after we get back from America." Then she saw that Andy was standing in the doorway. "Oh, hey, Andy." She rose to her feet. "There's kake udon and a little bit of shrimp tempura in the fridge, if you haven't eaten yet."

"Thanks," Andy said absently. "I think I might exercise first, since I'm not really hungry right now." At this moment, however, all Andy wanted to do was look at her. Mai was still wearing a plain black kimono, but he thought she was beautiful in it as always.

"Okay," said Mai, noticing the odd look in his eyes. "So, how is Master Jubei?"

"He's doing well," Andy replied. "He actually offered to come down and stay at the dojo while we were gone, in case someone in your family tries to take advantage of your absence."

"That's sweet of him," Mai said. "I hope you accepted the offer."

Andy shook his head. "I told him I'd pass it along to you. It's your roof now, so it's your decision."

Mai shook her head back at him. "Andy, you've lived here for over ten years. And we _have_ been dating since Krauser was killed. I wouldn't have minded if you said 'yes' for me. Well, no matter. I'll call him first thing in the morning. Though I do want to put the good sake in the locked cabinet and take the key with us."

Andy stepped over to her then, wrapped his arms around her slender body. He pulled her close, hugging her tightly. Mai opened her mouth, about to say something, but then shut it again. Andy had not held her like this since that night in Jerusalem, and also, it was the first real affection that he'd shown her in days. This time, Mai did not feel like spoiling the mood by trying to talk.

Andy shut his eyes, becoming lost in her presence. He felt the warmth of her body, breathed in the floral scent of her hair, and the faint smell of sandalwood on her soft skin. _I'm sorry, Mai,_ he thought silently to himself as he held her, his cheek touching against her own. _Even if I can't stop you from coming with me, I still can't let you get involved in this. This was never supposed to be your fight. Someday, I hope you can understand that._ After a time, Andy placed a tender kiss on her full red lips, and then stepped back from her.

"What was that for, Andy?" Mai asked him.

"No reason," he said. "I just felt like doing it. Because you're you."

"Oooo-kay," Mai said, scrunching up her pert nose in confusion. Andy might have gotten better with displaying affection, but it still was not like him to say things like that. "Is everything all right?"

"You mean a lot to me, Mai," Andy said. "You know that, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Mai answered. "Andy, what's wrong? What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing," said Andy. "I'm gonna go change and hit the gym." He turned and left the sitting room.

"Andy," Mai called after him. "Please don't walk away from me. Talk to me. Tell me what's bothering you." She got no reply, just as she'd gotten since Andy had found that envelope.

Mai rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she stood there for several minutes, wondering. Then she shook her head. "Okay, Andy," she said quietly to herself. "I've tried to be polite, and I can see now that's not going to work. But I'm a modern kunoichi. We know how to adapt." She sat back down at the table, drained her teacup, and turned her attention once more to the stock portfolio. "I love you, Andy Bogard. I always will. But if I have to play hardball to find out what you're not telling me, then it's game on..."

To be continued...


	8. Chapter 7

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games, or the anime.

NOTE: For some reason I feel compelled to share this. I know I've given Mary green eyes in my fic, even though most of the source material I've researched shows that her eyes are blue. I consider this a creative liberty. My fic is inspired by the OVAs, and those got some physical details wrong, such as giving Mai red hair when in all the video games her hair is brown or black. So I consider changing the color of Mary's eyes a nod to the OVAs. Also, I had wanted to make Mary appear more unique, to make it seem believable that Terry would be attracted to her from the get-go, and let's face it, I haven't met many blonds with green eyes. I personally like the image of that. Just wanted to share my thoughts. As always, feedback is welcome.

* * *

 _Chapter Seven: Trouble in Paradise_

 **South Town Commerce Plaza (formerly known as Geese Tower)**

Geese Howard smiled a cold smile as he stood in the front of the large picture window, gazing down at the lights of South Town spread out before him. The tenant who had previously owned the offices on this floor had needed a little persuasion from Billy and Ripper, but in the end he had been only too happy to move his business elsewhere, and concoct a convincing cover story for it, in order to keep both his family and his Swiss bank accounts safe.

 _After all,_ Geese thought as he swirled a snifter of cognac. _It isn't money that really talks. Oh, it definitely has a voice. But at the end of the day, it is power that will always speak the loudest. All the money in the world won't save you if your enemy is powerful enough to walk up to you and murder you in broad daylight. Tung and his star pupil were fools to think that too much power is dangerous, and it's a pity they passed those ideals onto the Bogard boys. Those two had such potential, but they were tainted by the notion that power must be used to serve others._

Geese took a sip from his drink, reflecting that it was true that money bought some power, but real power was that which could not be bought. That was the power that Geese Howard wanted, the power he was very close to obtaining. The power of immortality. Of life and death.

The phone on the mahogany desk behind him began to ring. Geese turned from the window, walked over to the desk, and picked up the receiver. "Yes?" He answered.

"We've hit a snag, sir," said Hopper's voice. "It seems the scroll's owner recently sold it to a collector."

"Hm, how unfortunate for him. Has he divulged the buyer's name and location?"

"Not yet. He's a stubborn old bastard, one of those 'honor among thieves' types, thinks that his buyers should remain anonymous. Not to worry, though. It may take me a little longer to extract the information, but I'll get it."

"See that you do," Geese said. "Don't come back here without it." He hung up, and turned back towards the window.

 _You may have defeated a god, Terry,_ he thought to himself as he sipped his drink. _But when I have what I seek, I will be stronger than a god. Then nothing will save you or your friends._

* * *

 **South Town International Airport**

Terry Bogard stood by one of the baggage carousels and waved as he saw his brother and his friends approaching. Joe Higashi was dressed in a white sweatsuit, Andy Bogard in jeans and a t-shirt, and Mai Shiranui in her usual travel ensemble of ankle-length skirt, halter top and open blouse, though instead of the pastel colors she normally favored, the garments were black.

"Over here!" Terry called. They spotted him through the crowd and made their way over to him, their eyes lighting up despite the jet lag.

"Have you been practicing, Andy?" Terry asked as he hugged his brother.

"The real question is: have _you_?" Andy fired back.

Terry then moved onto Joe. "You been keeping him out of trouble?" Terry asked as he and the kickboxer clapped one another on the shoulder.

"Are you kidding?" Joe quipped. "If anything, I've been trying to get him _into_ it."

Terry then came to Mai. "I'm sorry about your grandfather, Mai," said Terry. "I wish I could have been there for the burial."

Mai gave him a hug and a small kiss on the cheek. "I understand why you weren't there, Terry," she said. "I really do."

After they had gotten their bags and were walking towards the exit, Terry filled them in on the last few days. "So, far it's been quiet, except for the fact that a lot more fighters are in town. Police have been doing their best to break up any 'practice' matches they find." When Terry used the word "practice," he made the hand gesture for quotation marks. "Other than that, I haven't encountered Geese or any of his lackeys. We still don't know who the tournament's sponsor is, but I know someone who's looking into that."

"Someone we know?" Joe asked him.

"Actually," said Terry with some hesitation. "You've... never met her."

The other three exchanged quick glances. "Her?" Said Andy.

"We're friends," Terry added quickly. "At least, I think we are. And that's all we want to be." He quickly changed the subject after that, but Mai made a note of the look in his eyes, which was the same look he got when he talked about Lily or Sulia. Her "sixth sense" would probably need to do more snooping later.

"...The hotel that we're staying at is where most of the tournament's fighters are staying," Terry continued. "So it should be safe. I don't think Geese or whoever is responsible for all of this would try anything with so many fighters in one place. And I haven't had a chance to look up Jin Scrolls in the local library yet, but the tournament doesn't start for two days, so I figured that's something we could do between now and then."

"Did you pick up any information at the venue when you registered us?" Mai asked.

Terry looked confused then. "Um, actually, Mai, I only registered myself, Joe and Andy. I didn't know you were going to be fighting." His eyes moved to Andy, who turned his gaze away from Terry. Andy's face started to go red.

Mai noticed the exchange between the two Bogards. "Why else would I be here?" She said, trying to mask the aggravation in her voice. "I came to help, didn't I?"

"Um..." Terry hesitated, wondering for a moment if he should throw his brother under the wheels of the bus or not. He couldn't help but notice the vein in Mai's temple throbbing ever so slightly. Joe took several steps backward and held his suitcase in front of him like a shield.

Fortunately, Andy solved his dilemma. "I... told him not to register you, Mai," he said softly, looking down at the tiled floor of the airport. "I didn't think you were up for a tournament competition, not so soon after your grandfather's funeral."

"That's ridiculous!" The red-haired kunoichi snapped at her boyfriend. "Andy, you _know_ I've been hitting the gym at least twice a day since I was attacked. Why wouldn't I be up for this?"

"Well, if we hurry," Terry pointed out. "We may be able to get to the venue before it closes, and get your name entered. I think there are still some openings."

Mai nodded. "Right. Here, Andy." She took the two bags she was carrying and thrust them into her boyfriend's arms, despite the fact that Andy was already handling his own load. "I've got to move in order to fix your mistake, and these things will only slow me down. So _you_ carry them!" With that, she double-timed it towards the exit to hail them a cab.

"Um, right, Mai," Andy said, rolling his eyes as he, Joe and Terry started after her.

* * *

It turned out that they made it to the venue just in time. While Mai was busy registering her information as a last-minute participant, the other three fighters scanned the convention center's lobby, hoping to see some familiar faces. They did, but not one of the faces they wanted to see.

"Well, well, if it ain't the three musketeers!" Said a voice with an accent that they recognized instantly. The three friends turned as one to see Billy Kane making his way towards them through the bustle of the lobby, using his staff as a walking stick. "Fancy meetin' you here! You get new jobs as porters?" He asked, indicating their bags.

"What are you doing here, Billy?" Andy growled at Geese's bodyguard.

"Just checkin' out the competition," Billy said with an innocent shrug. "Was also hoping to meet this bird o'yours. I hear your taste in women is just as good as your brother's."

"Keep walking," Andy muttered through clenched teeth. "Mai is none of your business."

Billy raised his hands in mock surrender. "Wot did I do wrong? We ain't fighting. Just chatting about the ould days. So how's Master Tung? Oh, right. Still dead, because I fatally wounded him." He chuckled coldly.

Both of Andy's hands were now balled into fists. Terry grabbed his brother firmly by the upper arm. "You still failed, Billy," Terry said calmly. "He lived long enough to pass on the Sempu Ken technique, and you can ask your old boss how good that was. Oh wait, you can't, because I killed him with it."

"That's wot they say," Billy said with a nod. "Just wish we'd seen a body." He shrugged. "Oh, well, the fish probably ate him."

Mai rejoined the group at that point. "Okay," she said, stepping up alongside Andy. "I got into the tournament just in time. We can go to the hotel now."

Andy glared daggers at Billy as the lanky fighter looked Mai over. "Hello, cutie," Billy said to her with a whistle of appreciation. "You must be Andy Bogard's squeeze."

Mai cocked her head at him. "Have we met? You look familiar."

"We haven't been formally introduced," Billy explained, "but I remember you as the cute little ninja bird dancin' at Duck King's place the night that masked freak tore it up. So, tell me, love: yer moves in the ring as good as yer moves on stage?"

"I don't know," Mai said with a coy smile. "If you're lucky, maybe you'll find out."

Andy's eyes opened wide, and he almost choked on his rage. "Mai, what are you..."

"I'd like that," Billy said with a smirk, ignoring Andy. "Maybe me and my staff can get up close and personal with you."

"Hmmmm," Mai thought for a minute. "How do I know you're not compensating for something with that staff?"

Billy laughed. "If you're really curious, love, I can prove it to you back at my place."

"Well, I like the accent. I mean, accents are always hot. But... you're still not as cute as Andy. Better luck next time." Mai wrapped her arms around Andy's bicep and flashed Billy a wink.

"Hm." Billy regarded her for a moment, then touched two fingers to his forehead in a mock salute. "She's got spirit, Andy," he admitted. "I'll give her that. I just hope she's luckier than yer brother's girl."

Andy clenched his fists tighter, and this time, both Joe and Terry were holding his shoulders, trying to stop Andy from raising them. Mai looked at Andy curiously, noticing how his anger rose at the mention of Lily.

"Causing trouble already, Kane?" Said a voice that Terry Bogard recognized. He turned and saw Mary Ryan making her way towards them.

"Not at all, detective," Billy said with an innocent shrug. "Just makin' chit chat with some ould friends a' mine."

"Really?" Mary continued forward until she was inches from Billy's face. "And you needed to bring your staff because...?"

"Just enjoying a constitutional," said Billy. "This is my walking stick."

"Then walk somewhere else with it," Mary snapped. "Remember, Kane, I'm very familiar with your resumé. I would _love_ for you to give me an excuse to put you in the intensive care unit before the tournament has even started." Her green eyes narrowed as she fixed Billy with a cold glare.

"I love it when a girl talks dirty," Billy muttered, then turned and walked off. Mary watched him go, then faced the four friends.

"Have I mentioned before what a bad idea I think this is?" She asked Terry. "It takes way too much time to get from one side of this convention center to another, and they haven't given me nearly enough men to cover most of the scenarios I've come up with on things that _could_ go wrong. If I didn't know any better, I'd say Captain Bowers was trying to punish me."

"I can't imagine why he would," said Terry with a smirk. "I mean, you're so charming."

Mary smirked back at him. "Sorry," she said. "I forgot my manners. Are these your friends?" She gestured at the other three.

Terry nodded, and made the introductions. After they were done, Mary's green eyes lingered on Andy for a moment. He had relaxed slightly, but his fists were still clenched. "You seem like you have a temper," she said. "I hope that won't be a problem."

"It won't," Terry interjected. "You actually have a bigger problem: Andy and I both have the same last name, and I know you like to use last names when talking to people. So how will you tell us apart?"

Mary thought for a moment, and then asked Andy: "Hey, Romeo, are you as sarcastic as your brother? Let me know now, so I can stock up on antacids for the ulcer that you'll probably give me before this damn tournament is over."

"How come he gets that nickname?" Asked Joe. "You can ask anyone here, babe: I'm the real Romeo."

Mary regarded him, her mouth a tight line, and then she said: "Tell me, Higashi, have you recovered from your fight with Krauser?"

Joe blinked in astonishment, surprised that the blond woman knew about that. Then he answered cautiously: "Um... yeah, I recovered fully a while ago."

Mary nodded. "That's good. I would hate to have to put you back in the hospital. Which is exactly what will happen if you ever call me 'babe' again. And I'll make sure you stay there even longer than Krauser did."

Joe looked at Terry, and it took all of Terry's effort to keep a straight face. Mai let a giggle slip out, which brought Mary's attention to the black-clad kunoichi.

"What's with the get-up, Princess?" She asked Mai. "Who died?"

Mai's laughter came to an abrupt halt. "My grandfather passed away last month," she said simply.

For a moment, Mary lost her poker face. Her hand went to her mouth. "Oh, my God. I'm... I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"It's my fault," Terry told Mai. "I never told her about Hanzo's passing."

"I'm sorry," Mary repeated. "If you'll excuse me, the center is closing soon. I have to see to some things here. It... was nice meeting you all." Mary turned and walked away more quickly than usual, soon becoming lost in the bustle.

Once she was out of sight, Terry said: "Mai, please don't be so mad at her. She really didn't know. The... subject of your grandfather's funeral just never came up in our conversations. I'm sorry."

Mai was silent for a moment. She studied Terry's face, saw the same look in his eyes from when he had mentioned Mary in the airport. Then she shrugged. "It's okay. Though I am a little surprised that something like that wouldn't come up in a conversation with a friend."

"I don't... know if we're really friends," Terry said awkwardly. "I might have used the wrong word earlier. Maybe acquaintances? Somewhere in between those two? It's... complicated."

Mai grinned, in spite of herself. "It seems that Bogard men like to use that word a lot when describing their relationships." She reached over and gave Terry a pat on the arm. "It's fine, Terry. Don't worry about it."

With that, the four of them started back to the hotel. It was only a few blocks from the convention center, so they decided to walk. As soon as they were outside and heading down the sidewalk towards the hotel, Andy caught up with Mai (despite his load of luggage) and grabbed her by the arm. "Okay, Mai, what the hell was that about?" He blurted angrily.

The buxom ninja girl gave a small shrug, shaking off Andy's hand. "What was what about?" She asked, using that innocent tone of voice that she hadn't used in a while.

"You _know_ what I mean," Andy snapped. "Do you _know_ who that was that you just flirted with?"

"No, Andy, I don't know," Mai said, her own voice rising a little. "Maybe you should tell me. Funny thing, that. I can't really know something _unless_ you tell me, now can I?"

Andy shook his head, missing the blatant hint that Mai had dropped for him. "That was Geese Howard's bodyguard," he explained. "And you actually _flirted_ with him!"

"Relax, Andy," said Mai, her voice lower now. "You know that I wouldn't actually have done anything with him. I've only ever had eyes for you."

Andy shook his head and blew out a long breath. "Why did you do that, anyway? I thought you promised that you were done with that sort of thing."

Mai was silent for a moment, remembering their flight back to Japan after Sulia's funeral, when Andy had made his promise to stop taking Mai for granted. Mai had been extremely touched by that, and found herself recalling Sulia's final words to her, when she'd asked Mai not to be so hard on Andy. So Mai had told Andy the truth about what happened in China (how she had pretended to let Hauer kiss her, and why), then she had promised him that she wouldn't do anything to deliberately try and make him jealous again.

 _I'm sorry I broke my promise today, Andy. This is why it's called tough love._ Mai gave another shrug. "Oh, yeah," she said absently. "I guess I forgot we were still doing our promises. Won't happen again, Andy." With that, she picked up her pace as she continued down the sidewalk.

Andy fell into step alongside Terry and Joe. "What was that all about?" Terry asked.

Andy shook his head. "I don't know."

"Is everything okay with you two?" Terry asked, not convinced by his brother's answer. "Normally, when we're all together like this, we need a crowbar to get Mai off of you."

"I noticed it, too, on the trip over here," added Joe. "Whenever we've flown somewhere in the past, she usually spends most of the plane ride using you as a pillow. I don't think she touched you once this whole flight."

Andy thought back. That had been pretty odd. Instead of resting her head on his shoulder like she normally did, Mai had spent the entire trip from Japan either with her nose in one of her romance novels, or looking out the window with her headphones on, listening to the plane's heavy metal station. "Maybe she shouldn't have traveled so soon after her grandfather's passing," Andy said. "I'll talk to her later, see if I can find out what's going on."

Both Joe and Terry nodded, though the looks on their faces said that they were not convinced. Joe especially, as he had been there the night he and Andy had started to make their plans, and as he recalled, Mai had been only too eager to come with them.

"I hope so," said Terry. "Whatever it is, we can't have it interfering with things here."

"Yeah," Joe chimed in. "Especially if Geese is alive. Then we definitely need to be ready for anything."

* * *

After they had checked into the hotel, the four of them went upstairs to drop their things off in their rooms. Tomorrow they were going to find out whatever they could about Jin Scrolls, but for tonight, the plan was to give the travelers a chance to decompress from the long trip.

Terry Bogard found himself wandering the lobby of the hotel, lost in thought. He wondered about several things: if Geese really was still alive, what he could want with a Jin Scroll if he was, but also he thought about his brother. The last time he had talked to Mai on the phone, she had mentioned that she and Andy were doing great. According to her, the younger Bogard had been acting more like a boyfriend ever since they had gotten back to Japan.

 _What happened to Sulia apparently got to you, too, Andy_ , he thought. _At least some good came out of it._

Terry had told Mai he'd believe that when he saw it. He didn't know what he was expecting when he showed up at the airport to greet them. Definitely not Mai giving Andy the cold shoulder. And then her flirting with Billy Kane like that? He assumed Andy had told her what Billy had done to Master Tung, but then again, he might not have. Andy rarely spoke about their first encounter with Geese. Mai hadn't been there, but she was here now, so he hoped Andy _would_ tell her.

 _It's none of my business,_ he thought with a shrug. _The less personal I keep things with people, the better._ He was walking by one of the lobby's large picture windows, when he glanced through it, and saw a familiar red motorcycle parallel parked on the other side of the street, with a familiar figure seated on it. Terry smirked as he made his way outside.

* * *

Underneath the visor of her helmet, Mary rolled her eyes as she saw Terry making his way towards her. "You stalking me, Bogard?" She asked him when he was close enough for him to hear her.

"I could ask you the same thing," said Terry. "We're just relaxing right now. Our heads haven't expanded in size yet."

Mary pulled off her helmet, shaking her head in order to let down her blond hair. Terry tried not to notice the way her hair whipped around her face and her long neck like straw spun into gold, but he didn't have much luck. "There's a lot of fighters staying at this hotel," Mary said, as she placed her helmet between the bike's handlebars. "So I'll be keeping a close eye on it. Two eyes, when I'm not at the convention center."

"I haven't seen too many of my old buddies," said Terry. "They must be showing up tomorrow."

"And your three companions?" Asked Mary.

"Resting, probably. The hotel has a gym attached to it, and I was going to get in some practice before I eat. Normally, I'd ask Andy to spar with me, but I think he needs to sort some things out with his girlfriend." He gave Mary a smirk. "So, what would you say if I offered you a chance to hit me?"

Mary smirked back at him. "Well, I _have_ always wondered how I'd do against the best. But since they're not here, I'll settle for kicking your ass. Let's do it!"

* * *

The gym was largely empty. Aside from some people using the weight benches in the back, the only others that Terry and Mary saw were Mai and Joe, who were sparring in one of the rings. Terry thought it odd that she wasn't practicing with Andy, but he simply nodded politely at the ninja girl and the kickboxer, then made his way towards the other sparring ring, which was empty. Mary followed him rather quickly, avoiding eye contact with Mai.

"I asked her not to be so mad at you about earlier," Terry told the detective. "It was my fault. I really should have told you about her grandfather's passing. I don't know why I didn't."

Mary shrugged as she climbed into the ring. "I won't lose sleep over it if you won't." Once inside the ring, she took off her green jacket, folded it carefully, then very gently laid it across one of the turnbuckles, treating it as though it were alive.

Terry thought that odd, but quickly pushed it out of his mind as he moved to the opposite side of the ring and assumed his stance. Mary assumed hers, as well. For a brief moment, Terry was awestruck. This was the first time he'd seen Mary without her jacket, and the crop top she wore underneath it gave him an excellent view of her physique, the perfect combination of hard and muscular, but also soft and feminine. The sleek curve of her hips and midriff were stunning, as was the swell of her breasts as they strained against the fabric of her top. But Terry could also see the muscles in her arms standing out like steel cords, and the solid ripple of abs on her bare stomach.

 _Beautiful,_ he thought. Then he pushed it down hard. _Stop it, Terry! You can never get close to her, or she'll die just like the others. Just focus on the fight. The fight is your mistress now, until the end of time._

He began to circle counterclockwise around the ring, causing Mary to do the same. She couldn't help but admire the quickness of his movements, not at all what one would expect from a fighter who dressed like a boy band reject. _Though he is cute enough to be in one of those bands,_ she thought as she gazed at his muscular arms, his blond hair, his steely blue eyes. _He looks just as handsome as Butch did, whenever we sparred._ The memory of that name caused her to internally berate herself. _God damn it, Ryan, what did you tell yourself that night outside the Pao Pao? You can never fall for another man! It hurts too much to lose them._

But much as she didn't want to admit it, she was falling for Terry Bogard. She had been ever since that night he'd bought her the drink. _Focus on this fight_ , she told herself, pushing her feelings down hard. _That's all that matters._

"You gonna circle all day or do something, Bogard?" She called to him.

"Maybe I'm just waiting for you to get impatient," he called back. Which was exactly what he was doing, as he was aware of Mary's tendency to hang back, and let her opponent make the first move. So he was trying to do the same. But as they continued to circle, he had to admit to himself that her patience was starting to wear him down.

* * *

In the other ring, Mai and Joe watched as Terry and Mary circled one another. After she and Andy had gotten their bags in their room, Mai had changed into her fighting outfit and told her boyfriend she was going down to the gym to practice. Andy had asked her if she wanted to spar, but Mai had told him she would ask Joe, as part of her new strategy to wear Andy down to the point where he finally told her why he didn't want her here in South Town (though she left that second part out).

It turned out her plan had an unexpected benefit. For a while now, Mai had been practicing with someone who knew the same arts she did, so she had grown too comfortable. Joe's Muay Thai fighting style was definitely a sharp contrast to her Shiranui Ryuu Ninjitsu, so it was a good learning experience.

Joe had knocked her down twice rather quickly (despite the recent death in her family, she had asked him not to go easy on her). The third match had been a little more satisfying. It had also ended with her on her backside, but it had lasted _much_ longer than the other two. When Terry and Mary had come into the gym, however, the two of them had stopped what they were doing to watch.

After several minutes had passed and no blows had been exchanged, Joe exhaled loudly. "Even foreplay doesn't last this long," he quipped. "Someone should have thrown a punch by now."

Joe then had to sidestep to avoid a swipe from Mai's fan. "Hush," she told him. "I think it's sweet. Look at their faces. It's obvious that they like each other."

Joe rolled his eyes. "Mai, you _always_ think people like each other."

"So?" She fired back. "I can't help it if I have a sixth sense."

"Uh huh," Joe said. "Well, my sixth sense is telling me I'm hungry. I hope the hotel's restaurant has fried alligator." He grabbed his shirt from where it hung on the turnbuckle, and left the gym.

Mai stayed for a few minutes longer, watching as Terry sparred with the detective. Despite the current mood between her and Andy, she could not help but smile at the scene that played out before her. _I hope Terry works up the courage to tell her how he feels_ , she thought. _He's been through so much. He deserves some happiness._ Finally, Mai decided to give them some time alone, and left to go back up to her room for a shower.

* * *

Terry Bogard wound up losing patience first, and came at Mary with a series of quick jabs. He knew the blond woman's strength lay in her Sambo techniques, so he was trying to keep his own attacks fast and light, to avoid giving her an opportunity to grab and throw him.

She danced nimbly on the balls of her feet, dodging his jabs, searching for patterns, waiting for a chance. It eventually came. He reached a little too far with a right jab, and Mary responded with a mid-level roundhouse kick that caught him in his back.

Terry saw his mistake, however, and though he was knocked to the side a bit, managed to keep his feet. Mary tried to press her opportunity by lunging with her elbow, and Terry countered by ducking and sweeping with his leg. He knocked Mary off her feet, but she quickly regained them with a handspring, and immediately raised her forearms in a defensive stance, her green eyes regarding him with that wild light that Terry had seen in them the first time he'd watched her fight.

 _Such beautiful eyes,_ he thought, for a moment losing his focus. Mary noticed this and quickly went into a crouch, then followed by lunging forward with her foot, aiming a kick at Terry's midsection. Her boot struck him dead center, pushing him back against the ropes. She followed this with another kick that might have taken his head off had he not ducked.

Terry used his crouch to launch himself into an uppercut. Mary tried to avoid it, but her previous move had left her vulnerable. She could not move quickly enough and was still grazed by Terry's counter. Now it was Terry's turn to press the attack. He did a quick forward flip and kicked his leg out. His heel came down, aiming for Mary's shoulder, but she had been anticipating the move and had braced for it. As his leg came down, her arms came up, wrapping around it. She then twisted her upper body and threw him across the ring.

They continued like this for some time, both of them caught up in the thrill of the fight. But more than that, they were caught up in the thrill of watching each other fight, though they both were trying their best to deny it. After half an hour of sparring, Terry finally let his guard down (though later, he would wonder if he had done it on purpose). His kick was too slow, and Mary danced past it easily, spun in close to him, wrapped her arms around his waist and began to spin in place several times, moving Terry along with her.

With no time to think, only to react, Terry reached out and grabbed one of the ropes on the side of the ring, stopping Mary mid-spin and sending the two of them tumbling to the ground. Somehow, Terry wound up on his back with the detective on top of him.

For a few moments, neither one of them spoke as they gazed into each others' eyes. Feeling her this close reminded Terry of the night that Sulia had healed him after he was badly wounded by Jamin and Laocorn. This helped him remember himself so he quickly shook his head. "Um... I yield," he said quietly. "So you can get off me now."

 _But I don't want to,_ came the small voice inside of Mary. She quickly remembered herself as well, however, and shoved that voice down hard. "Right," she said, and then got up and retrieved her jacket. "Good match, Bogard," she said, offering him a hand. Terry accepted it and she pulled him to his feet.

"Yeah," Terry said with a slow nod, though Mary noticed that he still had that faraway look. "I'm... gonna get something to eat."

"Mind if I come along?" Asked Mary.

 _Yes_ , he thought at first. But then he realized that a hotel restaurant was very public. So he simply said: "Sure, if you want." With that, they exited the gym, each trying to keep a respectable distance from one another.

* * *

Thankfully, Joe was still in the restaurant, so Terry opted to sit with him. Mary wasn't thrilled by the idea, but Terry really didn't want to sit alone with her right now. As they joined his table, Joe was working on a beer and a plate of fried alligator bites.

"That's not your first plate, is it?" Terry asked Joe.

"Second," said Joe. "I have a third coming out shortly."

Mary rolled her eyes. "Jesus, Bogard, are _all_ your friends orphans and vagabonds?"

Joe paused in mid-bite. "Nope. I'm just hungry."

Mary was silent for a time as Terry and Joe made small talk about the tournament, and also caught up with each other. She only half-listened, as she kept glancing at Terry, and then internally berating herself every time she did. She was relieved when her food came out, as this gave her something else to focus on.

Unfortunately, she was just about to dig her fork into her beef stew over rice, when Joe asked her: "So, Mary, how did you and Terry meet?"

"He was breaking the law," Mary said casually. "And I was kind enough to let him off with a warning."

"She beat up the man I was fighting," Terry said. "You just don't take another man's opponent like that. Fortunately for her..." Terry stopped himself. He'd been about to say he had only let it slide because he found Mary attractive. _Damn it, and I thought having a third person here would make things easier._

"Fortunately...?" Joe asked after a pause.

"She was a cop," Terry said quickly, then took a bite of his barbecue sandwich.

"Well, maybe if you're lucky, you'll see that guy at the tournament and get a rematch," said Joe.

Mary shook her head. "Franklin Thomas Bash, goes by the name of 'Franco' in fighting circuits. He made bail, but his pending hearing prevents him from registering in the King of Fighters tournament. So the only way you'll get a rematch is illegally."

"Thanks, Robocop," Joe said with a smirk. "Good to know." He then felt a sharp pain in his shin as Mary kicked him under the table. "Jeez, Terry," he said with a wince. "Your last girl had less of an attitude problem."

Mary's green eyes took on a quizzical look. "Last girl?"

"He hasn't told you?" Joe asked. Then he felt another kick under the table, this time from Terry.

"Joe, shut up," said Terry. "I told you before. Mary and I aren't like that. We're friends. That's all we'll ever be."

An uneasy silence settled over the table then. For a while, everyone was focusing on their food. Mary kept stealing glances at Terry when he wasn't looking, and she couldn't believe that a part of her was hurt that he had just said that. _But he's right_ , her voice of reason kept saying. _You can never let him be more than that. Your heart belongs to the job._ But still, her cop instinct kept thinking back to the picture that had fallen out of Terry's wallet. She already knew about Lily from the Howard file, and she'd actually seen the same picture in Terry's file, as well, but for some reason had chosen not to mention this to him on the night they met. She had no idea who the other girl was, though.

Terry kept stealing glances at Mary when she wasn't looking, and a part of him was actually kicking himself for saying what he'd said. _But you're right,_ said his own voice of reason. _If you fall in love with her, she'll die because you're cursed. Your heart belongs to the fight._ But then, the word "fight" reminded him of his recent sparring match with Mary, how incredible she had looked then. _God damn it, Terry, what were you just telling yourself? Why can't you focus on something else? Why does she have to be such an amazing girl?_

Terry was just about to say something stupid out loud, when suddenly the radio in Mary's jacket pocket came alive. "Ryan, do you read? Come in."

Mary stuffed the last bite of beef in her mouth and pulled out her radio. "Ryan here," she spoke into it. "Go ahead."

"We need you back at the 37th, ASAP," said the voice on the other end. "It's a little crazy here right now."

Mary rolled her eyes. "Well, what did the mayor expect, when he decided to bring this damn tournament back?" She berated the radio.

"It's not the tournament," the voice said flatly. "The commissioner is dead."

Terry and Joe glanced at each other. Mary started, but somehow kept her poker face. "What? Did I copy that right? It sounded like you said Commissioner Hurst..."

"Is dead," spoke the tinny voice. "We need you back here."

"On my way," said Mary. She pocketed the radio and started to reach for her wallet. "I gotta go. We have a situation, apparently."

"Let me take care of dinner," Joe spoke up.

"Thanks," Mary said flatly, and rose from the table. Terry got up, as well.

"Do you need me to..." Terry started to ask.

"Two words, Bogard," she snapped, her green eyes boring into him. "Police. Business. You and your friends stay here. And stay out of it. Got it?"

Terry looked for a moment like he wanted to say something, then sat back down. "Right," he said. Mary nodded, and then made her way quickly through the tables towards the exit.

After she was gone, Terry looked at his friend and shook his head. "I wasn't going to tell her about Sulia, Joe," he said.

"Sorry," said Joe. "I just assumed she knew."

"She doesn't _need_ to know," said Terry. "Because there is nothing between us." He stared down at the table, his mouth a tight line.

"Okay, Terry, if you say so," Joe said with his hands raised. "Just relax. Can I buy you a beer before I turn in?"

The mention of that helped Terry shake off any lingering thoughts of Mary. He smirked at the Muay Thai kickboxer. "Sure, Joe. Thanks."

* * *

Andy Bogard sat in the lotus position on his bed, eyes shut, hands on his knees with palms open and upturned. He breathed slowly in and out, trying to calm himself, but his thoughts were on Mai.

After they had checked in and each claimed a bed (this time, they had gotten a room with two queen beds), Mai had changed into her fighting outfit and said she was going down to the gym. Andy asked if she wanted a sparring partner, and Mai said she was going to ask Joe.

 _Now I_ know _something is wrong, for her to ask Joe to do anything with her._ He couldn't figure out why she was acting so different, but he realized that his behavior towards her lately could have been better. However, as long there was a possibility that Geese Howard might be alive, he felt that his best course of action was to distance himself from Mai emotionally.

 _When this is done, Mai, I promise I will try harder than ever to be the man you deserve, but for now, I just can't. Not while the threat of my past is still hanging over us._

Andy's eyes slowly came open when he heard the click of a knob. The bathroom door opened in a rush of steam as Mai Shiranui emerged from her shower. She tied her white cotton bathrobe shut as she crossed the room, then wrapped her hair in a towel, saying nothing to Andy the entire time. She did not even acknowledge the look of appreciation he had given her. She started to busy herself with unpacking her bag, still keeping silent.

"Mai..." Andy asked softly. "Is everything all right?"

The red-haired kunoichi shook her head. "No, Andy, it's not all right."

"I thought so," said Andy. "Maybe your coming here was a mistake. It's still too soon after your grandfather's funeral. If you want to go home early, I'll understand."

Mai gave him an odd look, then. "You think that's what's bothering me? Andy, I still miss my grandfather terribly, but that isn't why I'm upset."

"Then what?" He asked.

Mai sat down on her own bed and faced him, her brown eyes smoldering. "You're really gonna act like you don't know? Andy, you've been so distant ever since you found that envelope in my bedroom. Except for that one day in the sitting room, I've had to come to you when I want affection, and you act like you don't want to touch me, just like the old days. And then you went behind my back, and told Terry I wasn't going to fight in the tournament? And don't act like I didn't hear most of what you told Joe in the kitchen that night. You didn't want me to come to South Town, Andy. You were probably going to just leave me without telling me."

Andy shook his head. "That's not true. This time, I would have told you something."

"Andy, we both know that's bullshit. Admit it: there is nothing you could have said that would have stopped me from following you here. The only way you could have left without me is if you pulled another disappearing act, just like you did three years ago. I'm right, Andy. If you even have to question that, then maybe you don't really know me."

Andy's gaze moved to the carpet. "No, Mai. You're right. I wouldn't have been able to leave without you. Unless I didn't tell you I was going."

"Why, Andy?" She asked him, her voice rising slightly. "After our fight with Laocorn, I thought we agreed that you and I were a team."

"We are," said Andy. "But..." he trailed off, suddenly unable to find the words to finish that sentence.

"But what?" Snapped Mai. "Only when you feel like it? Only when you say we can be? Sorry, Andy, that isn't how it works."

"Well, since you were eavesdropping on me and Joe," Andy snapped back, "you probably also remember that I said this wasn't your fight. Geese is my enemy, not yours. My vendetta with him started before you and I met."

"So? Krauser wasn't my fight, either. I hadn't met your brother at that point in time. But you had no problems with me getting on a plane with you to Germany."

"That was different," said Andy. "We knew nothing about Krauser, other than a story from Master Jubei. I know Geese Howard. I know firsthand how dangerous he is."

Mai rose from the bed, threw up her arms in frustration. "And I don't know. Because you've never talked about what happened the first time you and Terry faced him. Tell me, god damn it! Why does he upset you so much? Why is it so hard for you to just talk about this?"

For a long time, Andy didn't speak. He looked sadly at his girlfriend, at the pain written on her face. "I'm sorry, Mai," he muttered. "I wish you had stayed in Japan. This wasn't supposed to be your fight."

Mai took a deep breath, fighting back the urge to shed tears. "I'm sorry, too, Andy," she finally managed to say. "You really have done a great job since you made that promise last year. Perhaps too good. I've gotten a taste of what it's like to really be your girlfriend, and it's ruined me. I can't go back to the way things were. If you truly want to make good on your promise, you can't half-ass it. You can't keep drifting back and forth between the wonderful man you've become, and that emotionally distant boy who broke my heart three years ago. I need to know you're all in, completely committed to the idea of 'us'."

 _But I am, Mai,_ he thought silently to himself. _Why can't you see that I've been trying to protect you?_ He fixed his blue eyes on her with a pleading stare, trying to make her understand, but otherwise he was silent. After a few minutes had passed and she got no answer, Mai Shiranui walked over to the door to their room and opened it.

"Mai," said Andy, noticing that she was still in her bathrobe. "Shouldn't you get dressed before going out?"

The ninja girl gave him a funny look, like Andy had just told a bad joke. " _I'm_ not going anywhere, Andy," she explained. "Until you're ready to be completely open with me, and talk to me about what's bothering you, you can sleep somewhere else."

For a moment, Andy was too shocked to say anything. For as long as he'd known her, Mai had never kicked him out before, not out of a room, not from the dojo, not anywhere. Later, he decided that his shock was the reason he blurted out: "But Mai, we don't even sleep in the same bed."

The vein in Mai's temple began to throb, causing Andy to flinch before she even spoke. _"DON'T FUCKING REMIND ME!"_ She yelled, and then pointed firmly at the open doorway. _"NOW GET OUT!"_

It took Andy another minute, but he was at last able to find his feet. He picked up his duffel and shouldered it, then walked past Mai towards the door, once more fixing her with the pleading stare. Mai's deep brown eyes remained unwavering, however, so Andy stepped out into the hallway, not even hearing the door slam behind him.

He did, however, hear Mai crying softly on the other side of it just a few moments later. "I'm sorry, Mai," he whispered, too quiet for her to hear through the door. "I'll make it up to you after we're safely back in Japan. I promise." He stood there for a moment, considering his options. He could ask Terry or Joe if he could crash with one of them, but he'd rather not have to explain that Mai had kicked him out. It was his problem, not theirs. Besides, he really wasn't in the mood to listen to what Joe would have to say about it.

 _Guess I'll sleep under the stars,_ he thought. _Or in this case, the light pollution._ Andy Bogard cast one last mournful look at the door to his hotel room , and then began to follow signs for the nearest staircase to the roof.

To be continued...


	9. Chapter 8

**Fatal Fury: The Vengeful Spirits**

by

RobertCop3

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games, or the anime.

* * *

 _Chapter Eight: On the Prowl_

Andy Bogard reached the bottom of the ladder, and found his brother waiting there, holding up a wounded Joe Higashi. Terry Bogard glanced up at the open window they had just come from, a look of worry etched on his face.

"Hurry, Lily!" He shouted. "Climb down! Lily!" Terry's cry became more frantic. Andy and Joe had now turned their gaze to the window, as well. Andy knew what was coming next, and as much as he wanted to look away, he still found his attention fixed on the window, just like last time.

Sure enough, they saw a flash of blue light from a burst of chi energy, the shatter of glass, the body flying horizontally outwards over their heads. It seemed to hang in the air for a split second, but Andy could already tell that something was wrong. Instead of blue-green, the hair was dark red in color, and also longer, pulled back into a familiar ponytail. The clothes were wrong too. It was not the dress that Lily had been wearing that night, but a pink and gold kunoichi uniform.

Andy's eyes opened wide with horror. It wasn't Lily. It was Mai.

"Mai!" Andy shouted, trying to race towards the spot where her body was falling, hoping to catch her, but it felt like he was moving in slow motion. Mai's falling body, however, was not. After hanging in midair for another moment, Mai plummeted down towards the pavement. " _MAI!"_ Andy screamed louder as the ninja girl struck the ground with a sickening crunch.

Andy's world suddenly sped back up to normal again, but it didn't matter now. He could barely feel his legs as he closed the distance between him and Mai, knelt down beside her, and gently cradled her broken body in his arms.

"Andy..." He heard her say faintly as she gazed up at him. "I'm... glad you're here."

"Don't talk, Mai," said Andy. "Save your strength. I'll... I'll go call an ambulance."

Mai coughed, causing a thin line of blood to bubble up on one side of her mouth and trickle down her chin. "It's... too late, Andy," she managed to say. "I'm not gonna make it." Andy wanted to tell her that she was speaking nonsense, but he could see that Mai's beautiful brown eyes, which normally shone with a zest for life, were already starting to cloud over. "Just... stay here, please," she continued. "I... want... the last thing I see... to be your face. Please, Andy... don't let go of me."

"I won't, Mai," he said, his blue eyes starting to glisten with tears. "I'll never let you go."

She reached up, gently caressed his cheek. "Andy," she whispered, her voice growing fainter. "Thank you... for making me happy. I'll... always... love you. Goodbye..." Her hand slipped from his face as her arm dropped to the pavement, her eyes rolled back in her head, she gave a final shudder, and then lay still.

Tears ran in warm, salty trails down Andy's face as he gently closed Mai Shiranui's eyes. "I'm sorry, Mai," he whispered, his voice a strangled sob.

"Don't worry, Andy!" Called a deep voice from the window where Mai's body had fallen from. Andy turned and saw Geese Howard standing in the window's shattered frame, grinning that same heartless, sadistic grin. "I'll let you keep her body!"

In an instant, Andy's grief was replaced by murderous rage. He clenched his fists, fingernails digging into the flesh of his palms hard enough to draw blood, and rose to his feet. His blue eyes were cold steel as he glared up at Geese, who was laughing now. Andy focused as much chi as possible, intending to unleash a Hishou-ken large enough to vaporize Geese Howard where he stood...

Before Andy could finish, a fist hit him in the stomach, knocking the wind from him. He looked at Terry, surprise and hurt etched into his face as his older brother punched him again, bringing Andy to his knees.

"You killed her, Andy!" Terry snapped, fixing him with an accusing glare.

Andy shook his head. "No," he said meekly. "It was Geese." He then felt someone kick him across his jaw, and saw Joe next to Terry, standing on his own just fine now despite his bullet wound.

"You should never have let her come with you to South Town!" The Muay Thai kickboxer shouted. "You knew how dangerous Geese was!"

Terry nodded in agreement. "And you still let her get involved. You killed her!"

Andy wiped blood from his mouth, and stared up at them with pleading eyes. "No..." He said. "I wanted to protect her. All I ever wanted was to protect her!"

Terry and Joe remained impassive. The elder Bogard grabbed Andy by the collar, yanked him to his feet, and punched him in the face this time, sending him back down to the ground. "You killed her, Andy!" He repeated. "This is your fault."

Andy curled into the fetal position as both Joe and Terry rained blows upon him, shouting, "You killed her!" Over and over, like a mantra. Andy didn't try to fight back. There was no point. Mai was gone, and maybe they were right.

"I'm so sorry, Mai," he whispered again, tears once more streaming down his cheeks. "Please forgive me..."

* * *

"Mai!" Andy shouted as his eyes snapped open. He sat up, took a moment to look around. He was on the roof of the hotel where he had slept, using his duffel as a pillow and his jacket as a blanket. It was still before sunrise, but Andy did not want to go back to sleep.

He got up, walked to the edge of the roof, leaned against the railing. Despite the balminess of the Florida weather, Andy still felt a cold sweat on his face and the back of his neck. He gazed over the railing at the street below, nearly deserted in the early morning, and tried to get the images of that dream out of his head.

This was not the first time he'd had it. The first time had been not long after his discovery of the picture, and then, his cry as he'd awoken had been so loud, Mai had heard it in her room and come running. Andy had, of course, not told her about the dream. He didn't know why it was difficult to talk about, why it was so hard for him to share his fears. All he knew was that now, more than ever, he wished that Mai had stayed home.

But she was here, and it didn't look like that was going to change. So it was up to Andy to try and keep her from getting involved. _After all, what good is all this training I'm doing if I can't even protect those I care about with it? And if I really care about Mai, I_ should _be able to protect her._

"Hey! Guests aren't allowed up here!" Andy was taken out of his thoughts by a voice that called from the entrance to the stairway. He turned and saw a man dressed in a dark blue cap and coveralls standing by the open door. "What are you doing up here at this hour, anyway? Especially if you're paying for a room." The man's eyes narrowed. "You _are_ a guest here, right?"

Andy nodded, and picked up his duffel. "Yeah," he said. "Just having girl trouble, as my friend would call it. Sorry I came up here." He walked past the hotel employee and started down the stairs without another word. He spent the next hour until sunrise wandering the nearly deserted sidewalks, but found that he still could not shake the images of the dream from his mind.

* * *

Breakfast was a tense affair. The hotel offered a complimentary breakfast buffet, something that Terry and Joe would normally be taking full advantage of, but everyone ate lightly. Andy and Mai sat across from each other at the table, instead of next to one another as they would normally do. All through breakfast, they had kept their eyes on their plates, neither one looking at the other. Although Joe and Terry could sense something was wrong, they both chose to keep silent.

"Okay," Terry finally spoke up when it seemed that people were done eating. "We have a lot of ground to cover today. Obviously, we need to get as much information as we can on the Jin Scrolls: whose spirit might be inside them, how many there are, and if there are any that Geese or whoever has not gotten their hands on yet. First place to start looking for info is obviously the library."

"The scrolls are Chinese," Joe spoke up. "And anyone who wants to collect them obviously couldn't go through legal channels. Terry, I know that you and Andy used to visit this city's Chinatown district with Master Tung all the time. You think you might still have any old connections there that could tell you something?"

Terry nodded. "That's a good idea, Joe." He turned towards Andy and grinned wolfishly. "How 'bout it, little brother? Want to revisit the old prowling grounds?"

Andy couldn't help but grin back, despite his mood. "Two hungry wolves, just like the old days? Okay, let's do it!"

Joe rolled his eyes. "So, I guess I'm stuck on library detail again, only this time with Andy's girlfriend. Just shoot me now!"

"Relax, Joe," Mai said with a smirk. "I'm housebroken. Besides, someone needs to keep you awake."

Terry gulped down the last of the coffee in his mug. "Well, seems like we know what needs to be done. So, let's move like we have a purpose."

The four of them rose from the table to begin their day. Before they split up, Andy moved over to Mai, gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "Um, Mai..." he started.

Mai shrugged off his touch and turned to face him. "Yes, Andy? Something you want to tell me?"

He looked her in her large brown eyes, once more shining with zeal, with optimism, with everything that made her Mai. Then he remembered how they looked in his dream, dull and clouded over in death. "Um... I hope you find something useful," Andy said.

Mai nodded. "You too." With that, she turned and went to follow Joe, leaving Andy to catch up with his brother.

* * *

 _A few hours later..._

 **South Town Library**

Joe had been drifting off to sleep, head nodding towards the heavy oak table he was sitting at, when he felt a sudden sting on his cheek, jolting him awake. He sat up, blinked several times, and by the time he looked across the table, the fan had already disappeared back inside Mai's clothing.

"Okay, I'm awake already!" He snapped as he rubbed his cheek.

"Watch your voice," Mai said softly. "This _is_ a library."

"Fine," Joe responded, dropping his voice to a whisper. He then frowned as he looked at what Mai was wearing: a pair of denim cutoff shorts that rode too far up her thighs, and one of her favorite tops: a small white T-shirt that exposed her midriff, and had the word MILK written across the front in large black letters. "And also," he added, "that T-shirt is small enough to be a hanky. How the hell can you hide a fan in there?"

Mai shrugged. "Like I tell Andy whenever he asks me that same question: trade secrets of the modern ninja girl."

"Is it also a trade secret for you to annoy me?" Joe shot back.

Mai giggled a bit as she turned her attention back to the book in front of her. "No, but I'll make that a point of business the next time my union has a meeting."

The two of them fell silent for a bit as they resumed poring over the stack of books and papers on the table between them. Joe was about to drift off to sleep again when he heard Mai say: "Joe, can I ask you a personal question?"

Joe looked up from his newspaper, saw Mai looking at him from across the table. The expression on her face was serious, a seriousness he hadn't seen since the two had chatted in the hospital after Joe's fight with Krauser. "Depends how personal it is," he said slowly.

"What do you remember about Lily?" Mai asked him.

Joe shook his head. "If you're talking about the night she died, not much. I was a little woozy from blood loss."

"No, I wasn't asking about that," Mai explained. "I want to hear about that from Andy, when he finally feels like telling me. I was asking what you, personally, remember about her. What was she like?"

Joe was silent for a moment. Out of everything Mai could have asked him, he definitely wasn't expecting this. "She was ordinary," he finally said. "But... it was an ordinary that she wore like royalty."

"Really?" Mai leaned forward attentively, chin resting on her hands. Usually, Joe was a lot more crass and immature when describing an attractive woman. Now, he seemed introspective, searching for the right words but only barely managing to find them.

"She reminded me..." he said. "Of one of those fairy tales about a princess who was taken from the castle as a baby, and forced to live among the common folk until she was eighteen, and then she went back up to the castle."

Mai giggled softly. "I've never heard you use fairy tales to describe anything, Joe."

Joe was silent for another moment, then tried to continue. "She was like... um, well, like... she was... look, I can try to describe her, but it won't do her justice. You need to see her for yourself. Wait here." He rose from the table, and walked off to another part of the library. Several minutes later, he returned with another newspaper, opened it to the obituaries, and passed it across the table to Mai.

The obit for Lily McGuire was short, but Mai didn't read it. Instead, she focused on the photo that went with it: that of an angelic-looking woman with long, bluish-green hair, dressed in a flowing, low-cut white dress. She clutched a rose between the slender fingers of her left hand, her green eyes regarding it with a look that seemed filled with pain and sadness, despite the fact that she was smiling.

For a long moment, Mai stared at the picture with her mouth open, unable to speak. Finally she managed: "I... can see what you mean, Joe. I don't think I could have described her if I were you. She's absolutely gorgeous, the kind of beautiful that you just can't put into words. I understand now why Terry never wants to talk about her. I just wish I knew why Andy never talks about her, either."

"Terry _is_ his brother," Joe said.

Mai shook her head. "I feel like there's another reason it upsets him. But every time I ask Andy about it, he always changes the subject quickly."

Joe scratched his head. "Andy's never talked about it with me, either."

"I wouldn't expect him to. But even if he had, I wouldn't want you to tell me. I _need_ to hear it from him. But... I think maybe I have some more understanding now. Thanks, Joe."

The kickboxer shrugged, and turned back to his research. "Not sure what I did, but you're welcome."

For a long while, they were silent again. Joe noticed that Mai kept glancing back and forth between the book she was reading, and a yellow legal pad on which she had been jotting down things that she thought were of note. After a minute, she dropped the pen rather suddenly and got up from the chair. "What is it?" Joe asked her.

"A name," said Mai. "A name that keeps coming up. Hang on, I'll be right back."

She came back a few minutes later with some books on the ancient history of China, then sat down and began to flip through them rapidly.

"So... are you just gonna keep me in suspense?" Joe asked her.

Mai shoved a few of the books from the stack in his direction. "If you want to help, check the glossaries in these and see if there's any mention of the name Qin Wang Long."

Perhaps it was the urgency in her voice, but Joe actually found that he did as she asked, instead of sarcastically telling her to say "please." He picked the first book off of the stack ("Great Generals of Asia Before the Year 1 AD") and sure enough, he found the name. He thumbed through the book until he found the corresponding chapter, and then glanced over it.

"Says here he was a general and top military adviser in the Qin Dynasty, serving Emperor Qin Shi Huang," Joe read aloud. "After Emperor Huang's death, he retired from the Imperial court, as he was unhappy with the new emperor who had been appointed. He thought the boy was too weak, too easy to influence, and anticipated he wouldn't be able to hold his father's empire together. Which is what eventually happened, as the young emperor and most of his advisers were slain a few years after Huang's death."

Mai nodded. "I've read the same thing. Most of these books I've been looking at regard both Qin Wang Long and his father, Qin Kong, as legends. Apparently, Qin Wang slew over a thousand men single-handedly, and most people think that his father slew twice as many as that. Maybe more. And hello..."

"What?" Asked Joe.

"It's interesting," said Mai. "The dates of death for both Qin Wang _and_ Qin Kong have question marks next to them. Also, no one seems to know how they died or where they're buried."

"Ordinarily, I would say that's because they lived so long ago that records might not have been kept very well," said Joe. "But we _are_ also dealing with spirit scrolls. Any mention of Jin Scrolls in any of these books?"

Mai shook her head. "Not yet. But it's a start. I'm gonna see if I can find anything more on Qin Wang Long's campaign history. Have you come across anything in the newspapers?"

"Nothing interesting," said Joe. "Right now, these two generals are probably the best lead we've got."

"Right," said Mai as she jotted a few more things down on the pad. "You know, Joe, I almost hate to admit it, but we make a good team sometimes."

"Yup," Joe said with a smirk. "I'm the brains and you're the boobs."

As before, the fan strike came so quickly, that Joe never saw it come out or get put away. After the stars cleared from his vision, Mai was sitting there reading her book as if nothing had happened. "Ass.." she muttered.

* * *

 **South Town – The Chinese District**

Andy Bogard took in a deep breath of air as he and his brother Terry made their way down the crowded sidewalks. The air was a potpourri of familiar scents: smoked meats in store windows, car exhaust in the streets, incense burning in homes and shops, eggs and vegetables sizzling in the hot oil of tarnished woks, steam rising from the grates in the ground.

"I have to admit," said Andy as he looked around at the bustle of mid-day. "I _have_ missed this." Andy might have found a new home in Japan, but a part of him would always belong to the heat and the pulse of the city.

Terry clapped him on the back. "Brings back a few things, doesn't it?" He said.

Andy nodded. "You can say that again." After Jeff Bogard had adopted them, he and Terry would come here on Sundays with Master Tung to help him go shopping, though usually the two of them would wind up sitting in the bar drinking apple juice from rocks glasses while Tung played Mah Jongg and traded war stories with some of his old friends.

But before that, when he and Terry had been surviving on the streets by themselves, the Chinese district had been one of their favorite places to steal dinner. There were always plenty of carts on the sidewalks serving a banquet of spare ribs, spring rolls, fried prawns, and steamed pork dumplings, and the food was usually pretty easy to lift.

Andy spotted one of those carts, now. "Wing Lo is still serving people," he said, pointing the man out to Terry.

Terry's own eyes also spotted the beat-up cart on the street corner ahead of them. "How many times did we lift from him?" He asked with a shake of his head. Then he turned to Andy, and said, "Okay, bro, time for us to improve our karmic score a bit."

"What do you mean?" Andy asked. Terry said nothing, instead he approached the cart, and Andy followed close behind.

"Two orders of shrimp spring roll with extra mustard, please," Terry told the old man pushing the cart.

"You sure?" The old man known as Wing Lo asked nonchalantly. "It's hot stuff."

Both brothers nodded eagerly. "We're very sure," said Terry.

"Five dollars," the old man said as he wrapped the food in some parchment paper and held it out to Terry. The elder Bogard accepted it and handed Wing Lo a fifty. "Keep the change," he said.

Wing's eyes opened in astonishment. "You... you sure?" He asked.

Terry nodded. "Trust me, it's something we owe you." With that, he turned away and offered two of the rolls to Andy.

As Andy munched thoughtfully on a spring roll, he surveyed the busy street. "Where do you figure we should start looking?" Then something caught his eye, a familiar white and yellow awning right by the entrance to an alleyway. "Terry, isn't that..."

"Master Xiang," Terry said with a nod. "Could he still be alive?"

"Let's find out," Andy said, and the two of them started across the street towards the awning, which provided shade to a small wooden door.

The shop that they entered was dimly lit, the shelves full of assorted nick knacks that clearly did not move much, as many of them were gathering dust. The Bogards saw more than a few old figurines with strands of cobweb between the arms and legs. Behind the counter at the far end stood an old man with thinning white hair, a long mustache, and wide, scarred eyes that stared out at everything, but saw nothing. He had a chess board in front of him, and was lightly running his fingertips over the pieces as Andy and Terry approached the counter.

When he heard their footsteps, the blind man looked up from contemplating his next move. "It has been years since the hungry wolves have graced my doorstep with their presence," he said warmly. "To what do I owe the honor?"

The brothers stopped suddenly in their tracks. "How did you..." Terry started to say.

The old man smiled. "Master Tung always said that sight is only one sense. We have four others. If you are truly his students, you will remember his first lesson..."

"A man who trusts only one sense cannot truly see," Andy and Terry both said in unison.

The old man chuckled. "Very good."

"It is good to see you again, Master Xiang," Terry said as he and Andy both bowed.

"You as well, my friends," said Xiang. He made his way out behind the counter and up the aisles towards the front door with no effort, as if he had memorized the position of everything in his shop. When he got to the door, he flipped the sign hanging in its window to read CLOSED, then turned back around to face the brothers. "Another reason I sensed you would be coming to see me is because I have heard rumors... whispers... that another of Tung's disciples has also returned, casting a dark shadow upon the heart of the city."

"Geese," said Andy. "That _is_ why we've come. We were hoping you might have some information."

Xiang made his way back down the aisle towards him. "Not up here," he told them. "Please, come with me into the back."

A short time later, the three of them were seated around a small table in the back of the shop, drinking tea as Xiang shared his news. "I had no doubts that _xing shi fan_ , Geese Howard, was still alive, especially after hearing there was no body found. Evil as strong as his cannot be so easily overcome."

"Fighting him was hardly easy, but I understand what you mean, Master," said Terry.

"But this time, I feel as if there is something more lurking in his shadow," Xiang went on. "Some dark spiritual force, very deadly, is augmenting his actions. I hope that the wolves have not lost their hunger for blood and vengeance. They will need every ounce of that hunger to stand a chance against the dark one."

The Bogard brothers exchanged a quick glance. Then Terry turned his gaze back to Xiang. "It's funny you should mention dark spirit energy. We were wondering if you knew anything about spirit scrolls."

Xiang sipped his tea. "That they are very powerful and very hard to come by. If one wishes to collect them, one must know where to look. And one must usually employ thieves to find them. But hopefully, one also knows how to use the scrolls or one is foolish to look for them in the first place. The consequences of misreading the mantra are often deadly."

"Well, we know that Geese is no fool," said Andy. "We think that he's been collecting Jin Scrolls. Have you ever heard of those, Master?"

The brow ridge above Xiang's sightless eyes raised suddenly in surprise. "I have, and it disturbs me that Tung's fallen pupil has found them out. More than one spirit inhabits those scrolls, and in life, those spirits were legendary in the power that they commanded."

Andy and Terry said nothing, simply waited for Xiang to continue.

"Great generals of the Qin Dynasty: Qin Kong Long, and his son, Qin Wang," the old master finally said after a long pause. "I remember hearing of a story in the Christian Bible once about a warrior who slew a thousand of his enemy using only an animal's jawbone. Qin Kong and Qin Wang once slew twice that number with their bare hands, if the stories about them are true. And I believe they are, for those stories to have survived over two-thousand years."

"And now Geese wants to channel their spirits into his body," said Terry. "This is bad..."

"How many Jin Scrolls are there?" Asked Andy. "Do you know where we might find them?"

"From what I've heard, there is only one more that needs to be found," said Xiang. "Until very recently, it was in the hands of a fence. But I've heard that he sold it to a collector who lives right here in South Town."

Andy and Terry exchanged another glance. "Do you know where we can find him?" Terry asked.

Xiang nodded. "Of course. There is pen and paper over there on the counter. I shall recite his address to you."

Andy and Terry got up from the table and made their way over to the counter. A short time later, Terry had the slip of note paper with the address written on it in his back pocket. "Xiexie, Master," he said as he bowed.

Andy bowed, as well. "Yes, Master, xiexie."

Xiang rose from the table and bowed back. "Méiyŏu biyào gănxiè wŏ," he replied. "Tung may be gone, but I still owe him a debt I can never repay. Were it not for his intervention, I'd have lost much more than my sight. I am happy to have been of service."

They moved back out to the front of the store, and as Andy and Terry were about to take their leave, they heard Xiang call: "Lone Wolf!"

Terry turned towards the blind man. "Yes, Master?"

"I have followed your legend as it has grown, from the streets of this city, to Germany, to the Dead Sea," Xiang said from behind the counter. "But the Jin Scrolls are said to contain enough power to make a man even stronger than a god. Keep your wits about you. And remember that the true strength of the wolf lies in his pack."

Terry nodded grimly. "Thank you, Master. I will."

* * *

In the alleyway opposite the entrance to Xiang's shop, two figures watched from the shadows as Andy and Terry Bogard emerged and started off again down the street. "Shall we move on them now?" One of them asked.

"Patience, brother," said the other. "Do you see a scroll on them? Most likely, they don't have it yet. For now, we continue to follow them."

"Very well," said the first man, though his tone indicated that patience was something he was quickly running out of.

* * *

When the Bogards got back to the hotel, they went immediately up to Joe Higashi's room. He answered the door holding the notepads containing everything he and Mai had learned at the library. "Hey, guys," he said with a yawn. "We got back from the library not too long ago. Learned some interesting stuff, too."

"So did we," said Terry. "I'm afraid that you'll have to tell us later. Andy and I found out about something we need to move on." He pulled the slip of note paper with the address on it from his pocket. "There's a collector who lives right here in South Town who may have recently acquired a Jin Scroll."

"You think Geese already knows this?" Joe asked.

"Probably," Terry said with a nod. "Which is why we need to act on this info as soon as possible." He stuck the paper back in his pocket. "Meet us down in my room in five minutes. Come dressed for action." Terry then turned to his brother. "Andy, can you find Mai and tell her the same thing?"

"Sure," said Andy.

"I think she said she was going down to the pool!" Joe called after Andy as the blond fighter started down the hallway.

* * *

It did not take long for Andy to find his girlfriend, as she usually stood out rather easily in a pool setting. He spotted Mai laying on one of the lounge chairs, wearing her favorite red and white string bikini, which was much smaller than the bathing suits being worn by most of the other guests.

He took a deep breath and approached her chair. "Hey, Mai," he said.

Mai Shiranui sat up slightly, and slid her sunglasses down her pert nose. "Andy," she said with a brief nod. "You and your brother have fun prowling?"

Andy nodded. "Yeah. We just spoke to Joe."

"Okay," said Mai. "So what's the plan?"

Andy paused for a moment. "Terry and I didn't find out anything useful. Right now, the plan is just to lay low here and rest up for the tournament tomorrow. I'll let you know if things change."

Mai nodded again. "Okay, Andy. Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

 _Yes,_ he thought. _I want to tell you that this is for your own good. I want to tell you about my dreams, and how devastated I would be if I lost you. But I can't, not while my business here in South Town is unfinished._ Andy shook his head. "No," he finally said.

Mai studied him for a long moment, then slipped her sunglasses back on and leaned back in the chair once more. "Then move. You're blocking the sun."

"Um... okay," Andy said. Then he awkwardly added: "Um... do you need me to put any lotion on your back?"

Mai shook her head. "Someone already took care of that for me."

"Who?"

She shrugged. "I didn't ask his name, because I didn't care who he was."

"He?"

"It's no big deal, Andy. You weren't here, and I needed someone to lotion my back, so I asked some random person to do it for me. That's all. You know I would never have let him grope me."

He nodded slowly. "Um... yeah... right."

Mai raised her head slightly and placed her hands behind her head. "You're still blocking the sun, Andy."

Andy shook his head sadly, then turned and headed back towards the lobby. When he reached the door, he turned and cast one last look at Mai's sunbathing form. "I'm sorry, Mai," he whispered, and then made his way inside.

From where she sat, Mai watched him go back inside. She was glad she was wearing sunglasses, since they kept the other pool-goers from seeing the sadness in her eyes. _Andy, this would be a lot easier if I didn't love you so much. What_ is _it you're so afraid to tell me?_

* * *

"Where's Mai?" Terry asked as he opened the door and saw only Andy standing in the hallway outside his room. Andy had changed into his red and white fighting outfit. Behind Terry, Joe stood there dressed in his bright orange shorts.

"I couldn't find her," said Andy. "She left a note in our room, though. It said she was out shopping."

Joe did his best to hold back a snigger. Terry made a face, and then shook his head. "Damn," he muttered. "Well, we could have used her help, but we can't wait for her. We may already be too late."

Andy nodded. "Right. Let's move!"

* * *

The pool area was alongside the front of the hotel, where taxi traffic could be seen constantly pulling up to the main entrance. Mai's poolside chair faced out towards the street, so the ninja girl noticed when she saw Andy, Terry and Joe exit the hotel and hail a cab.

"Where do they think _they're_ going?" She asked herself out loud. Andy had just told her the plan was to lay low. And yet there he was piling into the back of a cab with his brother and best friend. Terry was dressed in the only outfit he ever seemed to wear (jeans, white T-shirt, sleeveless red jacket and baseball cap), but Joe and Andy were both dressed for business.

Before she could call out to them, the cab had pulled away from the curb and was racing off through traffic. Mai got up, grabbed her denim cutoffs from which rested on the foot of her chair, pulled them on over her bikini bottoms, and headed inside. Once upstairs, she found nothing up in her's and Andy's room except Andy's travel clothes laying on the ground, thrown there as if he'd needed to leave in a hurry. Mai thought for a moment. She needed to find out where they were going, but there didn't seem to be any clues in here. She could break into Terry's room, but it would take time. _Besides, I know an easier way._

Soon, she was back down in the lobby, chatting with the concierge. "You're sure you can't just give me the spare key to Room 327?" She asked sweetly.

The man shook his head. "I'm sorry, miss. The room is in Mister Bogard's name. I can only give the key to him."

Mai pouted, pursing her ruby red lips. "But I told you, he's standing outside the room with his arms full of heavy bags, and he can't find his key. If you could please just give me the key, I'll run it up to him and he can finally put all those bags down." She leaned across the desk, her large breasts threatening to spill from her small bikini top, and batted her eyelashes. "Pleeeeease? It would really help!"

The concierge's jaw dropped as Mai's generous cleavage was thrust only a few inches from his face. "Um, okay," he finally managed to squeak out. He reached into a drawer, pulled out a key, and handed it to Mai.

Mai snatched the key from him and stood up straight again. "Thanks, you're a doll," she said to the concierge, and blew the man a kiss, making the blood rush to his head so fast that he almost fainted. Mai didn't notice, however, as she was already heading towards the elevators.

Once she was in Terry's room, she immediately noticed the legal pads on the room's desk, which she and Joe had been using to take notes in the library. On top of that, however, she saw a slip of white note paper, which looked new to her. She walked over to the desk and saw an address written on the slip, along with the words "collector - Jin Scroll?" It was Terry's handwriting.

It didn't take Mai long to figure out where the Bogards had probably gone with Joe. "Andy, you lying son of a bitch!" Mai growled as she snatched up the paper and left the room.

When she was back inside her own room, it took Mai only seconds to strip out of her bikini and put on her fighting outfit. Then she was back out in the hall. "Andy, you had better hope Geese Howard kills you," she said out loud as she raced towards the elevator. "Because if he doesn't, I will!"

* * *

Mary Ryan had parked her motorcycle in the alley entrance across from where the hotel stood, allowing her to observe the stream of traffic moving in and out while she herself could stay unnoticed.

She spotted Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, and Joe Higashi as they exited the hotel and hailed a cab. "Hm," she mused out loud to herself. "Wonder where they're going in such a hurry. And why Romeo's girlfriend isn't with them."

The cab took off down the street, and Mary pondered whether she should follow them. Her bike wasn't exactly inconspicuous, and Terry knew what it looked like. She decided to wait, as her cop instinct told her that Mai Shiranui hadn't stayed behind by choice.

Sure enough, she soon saw the voluptuous ninja girl burst through the hotel's front doors, looking ready to strangle someone. Mary saw that Mai was wearing the same outfit she'd had on yesterday in the gym. _Is this city hosting a King of Fighters tournament, or Mardi Gras?_ She thought with a smirk of amusement.

The kunoichi moved to the curb and quickly hailed a cab. This time, Mary didn't need a cop hunch to know which direction Mai would be going in. Mary donned her helmet and started up her motorcycle. It was a good bet Mai didn't know about the detective's ride, so following her would probably be easy.

 _I really was starting to like you, Bogard,_ she thought as she pulled out into traffic after Mai's taxi. _And I wasn't joking when I said I'd have no problems arresting you or your friends. I hope you're not doing what I think you're doing. Otherwise, this will hurt me a lot more than it will you..._

To be continued...


	10. Chapter 9

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games or the anime.

NOTE: I really appreciate the reviews, everyone. Mariasilvia, to my knowledge, none of the characters have official middle names (at least, nothing I've found checking the SNK wiki, the Fatal Fury wiki, or SNK's official site). "Mai-lin Shiranui" is something I came across in other FF fanfics I've read, and I liked the way it rolled off the tongue. But Joe's middle name was my idea, as far as I know. In the future, I have a request. If anyone has any questions about the story or creative process, please PM or e-mail me, just so I don't clutter up the author's notes with this stuff (also you won't need to wait for me to update to get an answer). The e-mail is in the profile. ( ;

Thanks as usual to everyone for reading. Feedback is always welcome.

* * *

 _Chapter Nine: Many Revelations_

"Whoever this collector is," Joe Higashi remarked after the cabbie had dropped them off, collected the fare and gone on his way. "He does well for himself."

He, Terry, and Andy stood outside an ornate bronze gate, looking through it at the long, cobbled driveway that led up a small hill to a spacious-looking mansion. Between them and the house, they could see several different hedge sculptures all over the immaculately groomed lawn, most of them likenesses of mythical creatures.

"So, how do you wanna do this?" Joe asked the Bogards. "Shall we knock?"

Terry looked around, located an intercom set into the polished brick wall next to the gate, and pressed the button. "Hello?" He spoke into it. "Is anyone home?" There was no answer.

Andy squinted up at the house through the bars of the gate. "There are cars parked out front," he noted.

Terry pressed the button again. "Is anyone home?" He repeated. "We've recently acquired some museum pieces that we think Mr. Hughes would be interested in. Hello?" Still no answer.

Joe cast a nervous glance around the upscale neighborhood. He didn't see anyone else, but suddenly he felt exposed (and it had nothing to do with the fact that he was only wearing boxer shorts). "Guys, I'm getting a bad feeling. Think we may already be too late?"

"I say we go in," said Andy. "How about you, Terry?"

Terry thought for a split-second, looking down at the sidewalk, eyes hidden by the brim of his hat. Then he looked up. "I agree," he said. "You on board with that, Joe?"

Joe nodded. "All for one, right?"

They went over the wall with little effort and proceeded slowly across the lawn, trying to use the hedge sculpture as cover. They didn't know what they were expecting, but whatever it was, it never came out to meet them. When they got to the front steps, they noticed that the door was open a crack.

"Not a good sign," Terry said as he pushed the door open.

The other two nodded agreement. "Not unless he's so rich, he feels like wasting electricity," quipped Joe.

As their eyes grew accustomed to the dimness, they saw that they were standing in a main entrance hall with a black and white-tiled marble floor, several expensive-looking paintings on the walls, and an ornate staircase directly in front of them. Andy found the light switch close to where they came in and flicked it up and down. The lights did not come on. He tried the two switches next to it. Nothing. "Also not a good sign," Andy said grimly. "So, what now? Do we split up?"

Terry shook his head. "No, we can't risk one of us running into Geese alone. He's too strong. We search the place together. Start on this floor."

They made their way through several rooms finding no sign of anyone, which only served to heighten their sense of unease. Finally, they found themselves in a large, cavernous study, which had both a ground floor and a spiral staircase leading up to a balcony that encircled the room. The walls were lined with shelves containing both books, and a number of artifacts that seemed quite rare. Off to one corner, the three of them saw a desk with a large, high-backed leather chair, the back of which was turned to face them.

From where they stood, Terry could see a pale hand resting on one of the armrests of the chair. "Mr. Hughes?" He asked cautiously. "My name is Terry Bogard. I'm sorry for the intrusion, but we think you may be in danger."

There was no answer from the chair. They did not see the hand so much as twitch. "Mr. Hughes, I'm Terry's brother," said Andy. "We think there may be a man coming after you. A man who wants something you recently bought. We need to stop him from getting that artifact, and we need to keep you safe from him."

There was no sign of movement. Joe cautiously approached the desk, then grabbed the back of the chair and spun it around. The three of them flinched involuntarily at the sight before them. Sitting in the chair was a man with a long white beard dressed in a scarlet lounging robe, his head and limbs twisted into grotesque positions.

Joe leaned in closer to the man, and then drew back suddenly. "Shit... his head's been rotated nearly three-sixty!"

"Yes," a familiar voice spoke from the upper balcony. Joe quickly leaped back to where Andy and Terry were standing, and the three took up their fighting stances.

"It's a pity," the deep, growling voice continued. "I _was_ prepared to offer him twice what he paid for it. But he was a sentimental fool. To him, it wasn't about money. It was about the possession of something priceless. So I had to persuade him with a demonstration of power instead. I'm sure he regretted his decision for the rest of his life, which was less than a minute."

The eyes of the three friends followed the source of the voice, their gaze moving upwards to the balcony. There, half-concealed by shadows, they saw the familiar figure of a tall, well-built man with short blond hair. He was dressed in a white dogi and red hakama, the latter of which was held in place by a black belt. A familiar vertical scar ran down his left eye, but what caught their attention most was his chest. The dogi's neckline left the center of his chest exposed, and Terry couldn't help but notice the large, raw-looking scar that seemed to be seared into the older man's muscular flesh.

Geese Howard.

"Surprised to see me, Terry?" Geese asked his old nemesis.

The elder Bogard shook his head, never taking his eyes off of Geese. "I wish I could say I was."

"I'd have sent you a nice bottle of champagne after you took care of my worthless half-brother for me, but obviously I couldn't reveal myself too soon." Geese's cold eyes then surveyed the vast study, stopping on Joe Higashi. "What's wrong, Joe? Nothing smart-ass to say? How's your shoulder these days?" The kickboxer simply stood there with his fists clenched, took in a harsh breath, and drew it out slowly.

The former king of South Town fixed his gaze on Andy Bogard next. "You seem to be one short today. Where is your lovely ninja squeeze, Andy?"

Andy's blue eyes narrowed, fixing Geese with a venomous glare. "It's none of your business where she is, Geese."

Geese shook his head. "Pity. I was looking forward to meeting her. I've heard she's lovely. Isn't that right, Billy?"

Billy Kane, who was standing just behind and to the right of Geese, nodded. "Yes, sir. Quite a looker. Seems the Bogard boys have surprisingly good taste in women."

Geese smiled coldly. "Very surprising. Too bad they're not very good at holding onto them, though."

Terry saw that both of Andy's hands were balled into fists now, his jaw clenched tightly. Even from where he stood, Terry swore he could hear his little brother's back teeth grinding together. "Andy..." he said softly.

"I swear, Geese," Andy spat at the crime lord. "You harm a single hair on Mai's head, and I'll make you wish that Terry had done the job right the first time."

Geese raised his hands in a gesture of mock goodwill. "Now, now, Andy, should anything happen to her, I'll let you keep the body. I'm generous like that. Just ask your brother." Geese moved his gaze back to Terry. "How is _your_ lady friend, Terry? Still where I left her?"

Terry's own fists were clenched now. He took a relaxing breath, trying not to take Geese's obvious bait. Just then, Andy gave a cry of rage and leaped up towards the balcony where Geese and Billy stood. "Andy, no!" Terry shouted, leaping up after Andy to try and pull him back down.

"Reppuken!" Geese shouted as he swung both his arms upward, an arc of blue energy blazing from each fist. His blasts struck each of the Bogards and sent them crashing back down to the ground.

Terry lay there, dazed, wisps of smoke rising from his body, then he slowly regained his feet. He stared incredulously up at Geese Howard. _A double Reppuken?_ He thought. _That shouldn't be possible._ And was it his imagination, or was the scar on Geese's chest glowing slightly?

Geese chuckled coldly as he held up his left hand, clutching a tightly wound scroll of heavy bamboo paper. "I assume you came here looking for this?" He asked as he tucked the scroll into his belt. "Sorry, but I think I would make better use of it than you idealistic fools. It's the final step in securing the kind of power that I've always dreamed of. I suppose I should thank you, Terry Bogard." He tapped his fingertips against his chest scar. "You are the reason I've become as strong as I am now. And soon, I will hold the power of immortality within me."

"Get down!" Billy shouted suddenly, shoving his boss to the ground. Seconds later, Billy was hit by an energy blast that sent him crashing into the bookshelves behind him. Down on the ground level, Terry, Andy and Joe turned towards the source of the blast, and saw two teenage boys standing in the doorway of the study. One had shoulder length brown hair and was dressed in a red Tang suit, while the other had black hair with shocks of white running through it that seemed to stand on end, who was dressed in a blue Tang suit.

"Okay," said Joe. "Who invited Prince Valiant and Frankenstein's bride?"

The two youths ignored the humor, keeping their attention focused on Geese. "I think that _we_ would get better use out of that scroll," said the one in blue. "Just hand it over, and we'll be able to avoid any unpleasantness."

Geese had now regained his feet, his eyes burning with a dangerous light. "Never!" He shouted. "I have the last one in my possession now. I refuse to just hand over this much power to a child!" There was a crackling noise, then, accompanied by the eldritch green glow of negative chi. Billy Kane had seen this before and quickly leaped from the balcony, hitting the ground with a somersault and then taking refuge behind the desk where the collector's body sat. Terry's blue eyes flicked over to the desk and then back to Geese, a sense of unease building in his stomach. The two boys in Tang suits leaped forward at Geese, flipping in midair.

"Raging..." Geese began to cry.

"Everyone get down!" Shouted Terry. He, Joe and Andy threw themselves flat on the plush carpet as Geese finished the cry with: " _STORM!"_

A funnel of green energy shot up and outward from Geese's body, enveloping the study. A deafening roar filled the ears of everyone present. When the energy dissipated, Terry, Joe and Andy each had to scramble to avoid debris falling from the ceiling.

His ears still ringing, Terry took a moment to survey the carnage with a sense of dread. The study had grown considerably larger, mainly because the walls behind Geese (as well as the balcony he'd been standing on) were obliterated, providing a clear view to the room beyond. The study had also acquired a skylight, as a large piece of the ceiling was missing. Hundreds of shredded book pages, ripped from their bindings by the blast, fluttered around the room like confetti.

Geese and the two boys in Tang suits had vanished. Which only filled Terry with even more unease. _If he's this powerful without the scrolls... Jesus Christ. He just may be unstoppable when he actually figures out how to use them._

"Joe? Andy?" He shouted over the ringing in his ears, which was starting to die down. "You with me?"

"We're with you," they affirmed, stepping up alongside him. They were both a little bruised, and Andy had a small gash above his right eye, but neither one looked badly hurt.

Terry nodded. "Okay, then. We need to catch up to Geese before he goes too far."

"Can't allow that, gents." The three turned their heads as one and saw Billy Kane standing on the remains of Mr. Hughes's desk, brandishing his bo staff.

"And who's going to stop us, Billy?" Andy growled. "You? I've beaten you before. This time, it's three against one."

"Puh-leeze, Andy," Billy said with a shake of his head. "Do I look stupid?" He snapped his fingers, and instantly a large group of thugs swarmed into the study, surrounding the three friends.

Andy, Joe and Terry each assumed their stance as Billy jumped off the desk and moved to take his place in the circle of Geese's henchman. "Time for a rematch, Andy," he said with a cold smirk, flashing his canines at the younger Bogard.

"Ka-chou-sen!" They heard an angry female voice shout from above. This was followed by a familiar whistling sound, moving through the air towards Billy's head. Billy picked up on it just in time and spun on the balls of his feet, using his staff to knock the fan aside right before it would have struck his head.

He looked up and saw Mai Shiranui standing on the edge of the gaping hole in the mansion's roof, another fan already in hand. "Hello, cutie," said Billy. "Nice of you to join the party."

Mai leaped off her perch and landed gracefully a short distance from the circle of men surrounding Andy, Joe and Terry. "Sorry I'm late," she said to the three of them. "Seems someone forgot to tell me there _was_ a party."

Andy's face turned beet red. "Mai, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"What does it _look_ like I'm doing?" The irate ninja girl snapped. "I'm rescuing my stupid, lying boyfriend so I can kill him myself when we get out of here!" With another cry of "Ka-chou-sen!", she launched her fan at one of the thugs in the circle.

With that, the battle was joined. Andy ducked a swing from Billy's staff, saw that Geese's bodyguard was trying to move him into a position where he would be vulnerable to another attacker. Andy turned suddenly and did a Zan-Ei-Ken towards the man coming at him from behind. The flying elbow strike broke the attacker's nose and knocked him out cold. Andy then turned his attention back to Billy.

Terry and Joe were fighting back to back, trying to avoid using chi-based attacks due to the close quarters. Joe gave one of his attackers a one-two punch on either side of the head, then lunged with his knee, slamming it against the man's breastbone. "Nice of you to finally join us, Mai," he called out over the melee. "Did you have fun shopping?"

The vein in Mai's temple throbbed wildly. She struck her opponent on the side of his head so hard that she snapped her fan in half. "Andy, you told them I was _shopping?_ " She practically shrieked. "I've changed my mind. Now I'm not going to kill you. You're gonna _wish_ you were dead by the time I'm through with you, but..."

"Please, people!" Shouted Terry as he deflected a kick. "Whatever my brother did, let's punish him for it after we've taken care of these guys."

Mai took a deep breath, trying to channel her anger out of her mind and into her extremities. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to hit someone as hard as she could. She soon spotted a large-enough target, a heavyset man who had a foot of height and at least a hundred pounds on her. She smiled and pulled a fresh fan out of her gi.

"Hey, big boy!" She called, getting the man's attention. She raised one eyebrow and smirked coyly as she opened her fan and used it to cover the lower half of her face. "Let's you and I dance!"

* * *

Billy was providing more of a challenge than Andy had expected. Andy had been training tirelessly since their battle together three years ago, but apparently so had Billy. Billy had just dodged Andy's Hishou-ken by planting his staff into the ground and vaulting over Andy's head, landing on the other side of the younger Bogard. He then lunged while twirling his weapon like a windmill, and Andy had to leap backwards rather quickly to avoid getting hit.

Andy circled Geese's bodyguard warily, searching for an opening. He then heard a yelp of surprise from the other side of the study. He turned his head only slightly to see Mai Shiranui's opponent spinning her around by the leg, and then throwing her against one of the walls that was still standing.

"Mai!" Andy shouted, for a moment forgetting his own battle. He felt the sudden rush of air as Billy tried an overhead swing, and at the last moment Andy managed to pivot his body to avoid Billy's staff cracking his collarbone. Andy did a few steps backward and raised his forearms defensively.

"Worry about yerself, Bogard!" Billy said with a sadistic grin. "Don't lose yer head figuratively, or you may just lose it literally." He then lunged at Andy again, his staff becoming a blur as he tried to land a blow.

* * *

Mai managed to twist her body in midair so that she was vertical when she struck the wall, and was able to land on her feet. Her opponent offered her no chance to shake it off, and came at her swinging his beefy arm in a roundhouse. Mai ducked it, sidestepped to the left, and delivered a kick to his exposed right side, hoping to the gods she hit the correct spot. The man grunted as he felt one of his ribs crack, and he responded by trying to backhand the kunoichi with the same fist that he'd just swung at her.

Mai ducked to avoid it, did a flip over him, and when she was on her way back down to the ground, struck outward with both legs, her booted feet connecting with the man's back. He flew forward, striking the same wall he'd just flung Mai into.

Mai landed in a crouch, and quickly spun to face him. But another attacker had lunged at her as she landed. As soon as Mai felt his arms on her shoulders she grabbed him by the wrists and flipped him bodily over her. He slammed into the wall alongside Mai's first opponent and slid to the ground, not moving.

The heavyset man she was originally fighting had recovered more quickly than she expected, and lunged at her. Mai did a flip backwards, kicking him in the chin, but it did not seem to slow him down. He closed the distance between them and wrapped both arms around the kunoichi's waist in a bear hug. Mai gave a small cry of pain as the man then squeezed as hard as he could, trying to crush her spine.

* * *

Andy heard the scream as he was sidestepping Billy's staff, and countered his own opponent with a roundhouse that struck Billy in his torso.

"I'm coming, Mai!" He called, trying to race towards her. Then, he felt something hard and wooden catch on his foot, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Andy turned and saw Billy Kane standing over him. "Ah, ah, ah, Bogard!" He said as he wagged a finger. "We ain't done yet." Billy raised his staff, trying to bring it down on Andy, but Andy rolled to the right, dodging the blow. He was attempting to lead Billy along, and as he was hoping, Billy turned his body in the direction Andy was rolling, raising his staff again.

Andy quickly rolled the other way, and then countered with a Chou Reppa Dan, lunging at Billy feet-first and slamming them into his opponent's belly. Billy grunted and went flying back several feet, banging his head against a marble pedestal that had survived Geese's attack. Andy then stood up and started towards his girlfriend again. "Hang on, Mai," he said.

* * *

As she felt the big man's arms start to crush her, Mai realized that she needed to think fast. The man was angry, and his anger was obviously clouding his judgment, as he had grabbed Mai by the waist, leaving her arms free. She raised her fan and brought it down hard on the man's collarbone. There was a loud crack, and he grunted as he dropped the kunoichi.

But again, he recovered more quickly than she expected, delivering a punch that struck her in her stomach and knocked her to the ground. She rolled to the left as he raised his foot and attempted to stomp her, avoiding the bone-crushing force of his strike. As he brought his foot down, Mai kicked out with both her legs, hitting him in the kneecaps.

Without giving him a chance to recover, she did a handspring to her feet and then focused a small amount of chi. "Ryu en bu!" She shouted as she spun in midair like a top, whipping the flaming tails of her fighting outfit around to strike her opponent in his face. It was a weak move, as she had only intended for the flames to blind him temporarily, but it achieved the desired effect, as the large man staggered backwards, blinking rapidly.

Mai pressed the attack. She leaped forward, planted one foot against his chest, and did a flip kick that connected with his chin. The heavyset man's head snapped back, exposing his neck. As Mai finished her flip and was starting back towards the ground, she lashed out hard with her fan, slamming it against the man's Adam's apple. He dropped like a stone, choking and sputtering as he clutched his neck with both hands.

* * *

Andy had been on his way to Mai's rescue, but had gotten blocked by another of Geese's men. Andy took the man down as quickly as possible, and right after he had knocked his attacker out, he saw Mai execute her flip kick, followed by the fan strike that dropped her larger opponent.

Mai landed back on the ground and turned to face her boyfriend. Andy regarded her with an odd look, his mind trying to process what he'd just witnessed. "Mai..." He started to say. The ninja girl said nothing in response. Instead, her brown eyes narrowed into deadly slits. "Mai?" Andy repeated.

"Ka-chou-sen!" She cried out suddenly, flinging her fan straight at Andy. Andy Bogard could only stand there, like a deer in the headlights, as the projectile came at him... and then continued past him, missing his head by mere inches. It traveled onward for several more feet... towards Billy Kane, who was lunging with his staff, attempting to sneak-attack Andy from behind. Mai's fan struck Billy dead center in the forehead, and sent him sprawling unconscious to the floor.

Andy looked back at Mai, still unable to do anything except stare. Mai simply nodded at him, pulled another fan from the confines of her gi, and then went off to help Joe and Terry. Andy stood there for another moment with an odd look on his face. Then he shook his head to clear it, and started searching for his next opponent.

* * *

Terry Bogard knocked out the man he was facing with a burn knuckle, and then turned his head slightly towards Joe. "We need to finish this quickly. Geese is probably long gone by now."

Joe nodded as he dodged his opponent's attack, and then roundhouse kicked them on the side of their head. "Who do you figure those other two guys were?"

"I don't know," said Terry. "Whoever they were, they didn't seem to be friends of Geese. And they definitely wanted that scroll."

"Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi!" One of the attackers circling them was suddenly flung to one side as he was struck by Mai's Deadly Ninja Bee attack. She gave a brief nod to Joe and Terry, and then took up a stance next to them.

"You okay?" She asked them.

"We're fine," Terry answered. "How are _you_ holding up, Mai?"

"Physically, I'm okay, just bruises," she said. "Mentally... well, I've had better days."

"You didn't see anyone leaving when you arrived, did you?" Asked Joe.

Mai shook her head. "Didn't know I was supposed to be looking."

"We'll sort it out later," said Terry as he dodged an attack, countered with a knee to the man's solar plexus.

A minute later, there was a burst of blue as another attacker was hit by Andy's Hishou-ken, and then Andy joined the other three. Once they were all together, they made short work of the rest of Geese's men.

As they were taking a breather and surveying the carnage in the study, Andy asked: "Do you think that blast from Geese alerted the authorities?"

Terry gave a grim nod. "Probably. Let's slip out the back."

Terry, Mai and Joe started towards the door. Andy stood there for a moment, watching Mai with that same look in his eyes from when she had saved him from Billy. "Wake up, Andy!" He then heard Terry shout, snapping him out of his trance. "We gotta hustle!" Andy shook his head again, and then started after them.

The four of them left the ruins of the study and made their way towards one of the back doors of the mansion. For a moment, they were blinded by sun as they opened the door to the outside. Then, when their eyes adjusted, they saw Mary Ryan standing there.

"Hold it!" The detective snapped, and Terry saw that both her gloved hands were wrapped around the handle of a nine-millimeter. Out of the corner of his eye, Terry saw Mai raise her hand slightly, gripping a fan, and he turned towards the ninja girl for a moment and shook his head. Mai blew a sharp breath out through her nostrils, but she lowered her hand.

"Mary," Terry asked the blond woman warily. "Why are you armed?"

"I'm good, Bogard," said Mary. "But probably not good enough to take on four fighters as experienced as you with my bare hands. And I need to make this as easy as possible."

"Mary..." Terry started.

Mary silenced him by raising the gun. Terry saw remorse in her green eyes, something he'd never seen there before. "Please make this easy on me," she said. "I hate to have to do this, I really do. Why couldn't you just listen when I told you to stay out of it?"

"Because this is worse than the Armor of Mars," Terry started to explain. "Much worse. We just found out..." His voice trailed off, and he shook his head.

"Terry, tell her," said Andy.

"Why?" The elder Bogard asked. "She wouldn't believe me."

Mary raised an eyebrow. "Try me."

Terry exhaled sharply. "Well, it looks like Geese..."

Mary's other eyebrow raised. "Geese Howard? You actually saw him?"

The eyebrows of the other four were raised now. "Mary," Terry finally managed to say. "How do you..."

"Dammit, Bogard, it's a simple question. Did you or did you not _see_ Geese Howard?"

Terry looked long and hard at her for another minute. Then he nodded slowly. "Yes, Mary. And I can say without a doubt it was him. If anyone would know, it's me."

Mary cursed under her breath. "I believe you," she said. "I just wish it wasn't true, because now it creates a huge problem for me. All I've ever wanted was to honor my dad by being a good cop. Every moral fiber in me says I should arrest all four of you..."

"But you also know that the police aren't strong enough to stop a man like Geese," Terry finished, for the moment trying not to think about why Mary was accepting the news so well. "And you're right, Mary, especially now. Geese has gotten more powerful since I defeated him three years ago. A lot more powerful. Andy and Joe can attest to that."

Both Terry's brother and the Muay Thai kickboxer nodded their heads. Mary's eyes flicked over to Mai. "What about you, Princess?" She asked.

Mai shook her head. "I didn't see him, because I showed up late to the party. But I understand your desire to honor your family. If it helps, my grandfather once said that sometimes doing the honorable thing means making decisions that challenge what we believe to be right."

"Look, Mary," said Terry. "You've done your homework. You know how strong Geese was before. If he's even stronger now, you _know_ the police can't stop him. Only people like us can stand a chance against him, and you know we can't do that if we're locked up."

For a long moment, Mary regarded them. Then she holstered her weapon. "I know more than you think, Bogard," she growled. "But we'll talk later." She turned, and gestured for the others to follow her. "This way."

As the five of them moved through the backyard, they heard sirens in the distance.

"I followed Romeo's girlfriend here," Mary explained. "As soon as I saw her enter the property, I called it in. As long as none of you are seen, though, I should be able to run damage control."

The back of the property was fenced by hedges, which they were able to clear easily. Once on the other side, they found themselves facing a red brick building, with a sewer grate on the side of the street. Working together, they were able to pry up the grate easily. The sound of sirens grew louder.

Joe, Andy and Mai quickly dropped down through the open grate. Terry lingered for a moment. "Mary..." He started to say. "About Geese. How do you..."

"Later, Bogard," she snapped. "I'll meet you and your friends when I'm off duty. Just get out of here before I change my mind."

Terry lingered for just another second, his blue eyes locked with Mary's green, and then he jumped down into the sewer, as well. Mary quickly pushed the grate back into place, and then started back towards the mansion.

Terry caught up to the other three, and they continued down the tunnel at a brisk pace, the sound of sirens starting to fade as they made their way out of that neighborhood. "And just the other day, I told myself I wasn't spending enough time in places like this," Joe remarked as he waved his hand in front of his nose. "Terry, did Master Tung ever mention that Geese could do an attack like that?"

Terry shook his head grimly. "No. I've never seen a chi-based attack like that before."

"That room was destroyed by a _chi_ attack?" Mai asked incredulously. "How could any human being control the amount of chi that would take?"

"It's amazing what you miss out on while shopping, isn't it?" Joe asked.

The mention of that caused the vein in Mai's temple to start throbbing again. "So, Andy," she said to her boyfriend. "Do _you_ want to tell them the truth, or should I?"

Andy said nothing. He looked distracted, as if his mind were trying to process something. His blue eyes remained fixed on the tunnel ahead.

"Andy, you with us?" Terry asked, cuffing his brother on the shoulder.

"Hm?" Andy turned his head slightly to face Terry. "Oh, right, I guess I owe everyone an explanation."

"You owe a lot more than that, buster," Mai snapped at him. As they made their way further from the crime scene, Andy started to tell them about his poolside talk with Mai at the hotel earlier.

* * *

 **South Town Police Department - 37th Precinct**

Mary Ryan sat in the chair with her legs crossed, her poker-face in flawless form as she sipped her coffee, which was hot this time. On the other side of the desk sat a stocky man in his forties, with a white button-down shirt and tie, his graying hair done in a crew-cut.

"Okay, Ryan," said the man behind the desk. "Run me through your report again."

Mary shrugged. "What for, Captain Bowers?" She asked. "Too many big words for you to understand yourself?"

" _Inspector_ Bowers, actually," he said with a smug look on his face. "I guess you didn't hear that they promoted me again, to help try and fill the void left by Commissioner Hurst's sudden death."

Mary managed to keep her expression neutral. "No, I didn't hear. Guess that's because I was out doing real work. Remind me to buy you a fruit basket, sir."

"Detective, is there a reason you're being so difficult?"

"I don't know what else you want me to tell you," Mary said with a huff. "I was tailing a lead, someone who I thought was a street fighter because they dressed like one. I saw them enter the premises at 994 Chestnut. I then had probable cause to believe that someone on the property might be in danger, so I called for backup and entered the property myself."

Bowers glanced down at the paper on his desk. "You described an Asian female, early twenties, between five feet and five feet six in height, long reddish brown hair, wearing..." Bowers paused for a moment and cleared his throat. "...a 'severely altered' ninja gi. And you never saw her face?"

Mary shook her head. "Not from the front. And we have a lot of fighters in town right now, sir. Most of them dress funny. And they come from all over the world. You can organize a lineup if you want, but I think it would have _too_ many people in it."

Bowers leaned forward across the desk. "And what did you say happened next?"

"For the third time, I went in through the front door," said Mary. "I tried the light switch, it didn't work. I started to sweep the mansion. When I got to the study, I found several suspects unconscious, and the owner of the property dead. And the study itself looked like a bomb had gone off in it."

Bowers nodded. "Forensics found no identifiable residue at the scene. They're still trying to figure out what caused the damage. And you're _sure_ you saw nothing else?"

"No, sir. No one leaving the scene. I was in the study when Sergeant Hawkins arrived with backup."

Bowers nodded again. "And Hawkins says you were carrying your issue."

"So what?" Mary asked, not trying to mask her impatience.

Bowers leaned closer towards her. "Ryan, I've never seen you carry your issue. Not since you were promoted off your beat to detective. What would suddenly give you a change of heart?"

"My job has gotten a lot harder lately," Mary said without flinching. "With more street fighters in town than ever, maybe I needed an edge. You can ask Sergeant Hudson. He and I had a conversation about this in the break room a few weeks ago."

"I see," Bowers said.

Now Mary leaned forward. "Look, if there's nothing else, I have a lot of work to do. I'm supposed to be running security for the mayor's shit show, which starts tomorrow, and I'm still not close to being satisfied with the number of men you graciously bestowed upon me."

For a moment, they stared each other down. Then Bowers asked her: "What is your relationship with Terrance Bogard, detective?"

Mary almost lost her poker-face, but managed to control it, and responded with: "There is none, sir."

"Really?" Bowers cocked his head. "I hear you've been spending a lot of time with him lately."

"To get information," Mary countered. "He rid the city of Geese Howard, and he's participated in the King of Fighters tournament. I figured he could give me some intel to help me in my current assignment. That's all he is to me. A source of info."

"Oh?" The inspector leafed through the papers on his desk, found some black and white photographs, and passed them over to Mary. Mary flipped through them rapidly. There was an enlarged picture of her and Terry at the diner, Mary with that faraway look in her eyes as she talked about the deaths of her father and Butch, Terry with his hand over hers; the pictures underneath that one were from the gym yesterday, of her and Terry sparring, the last picture was of her on top of Terry, that brief moment where they gazed wistfully at each other.

"You're sure that's all he is?" Bowers asked her. "And are you also _sure_ you have no feelings that would, say, cause you to lie for him?"

Mary didn't hear the question. Though her green eyes remained ice-cold, underneath her skin her blood was boiling. "You've had a tail on me?" She hissed through clenched teeth.

"You've had excellent reports from all your previous captains before you came to me. But I have to be honest." Bowers fixed her then with a hard stare. "I don't like you. I never have. You've always been unorthodox, you come from a background similar to most of the people you've been putting away lately, and until today, you've never carried a gun. I always thought your special assignment was a mistake, putting you in such close proximity with your own kind. So, yes, I decided that I needed to keep an extra set of eyes on you."

Mary rose swiftly from her seat and flung the photographs onto the inspector's desk. "Said the pot to the kettle," she snapped, no longer able to control her anger. "I am not going to sit here and listen to baseless accusations from someone who used to polish Geese Howard's ass. If you want to formally accuse me of something, you already know the number for Internal Affairs. Why don't we call Agent Winters? Or Agent Kaminsky? I'm sure you remember them, you spent a lot of time together while they investigated _you._ "

Now Bowers rose from his seat. " _Allegedly_ used to polish Geese Howard's ass," he growled. "You forget that the DA threw out the case due to lack of evidence."

"Yeah, convenient how there was that fire in the department's records archives," Mary shot back. "Your alibi was airtight, until they caught the guy who started the fire. Then _he_ was killed before he could finger anyone, and even though IA bought your story about where you were at the time of his death, there still wasn't anyone to corroborate it. Also real convenient. You polishing anyone's ass in Internal Affairs, too?"

Bowers slapped his open palm sharply on his desk. "That will do, Ryan," he snapped. "Your report on the incident at the Hughes mansion is suspicious, to say the least. I don't have proof that you left anything out, at least not yet, but until we get to the bottom of it, I'm suspending you from duty." He slapped the desktop again. "Your badge and gun, detective."

Mary's gloved hands were clenched into fists, her knuckles turning white. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath, then opened her hands. Finally, after a long moment, she reached inside her jacket, unpinned the badge, and tossed it onto the desk. "I hope whoever has to take my place at the last minute to run security for the tournament tomorrow doesn't fuck up too badly," she growled. "Otherwise a lot of people will get hurt."

Bowers folded his arms in front of his chest. "We'll manage. How about your piece?"

Mary pulled a key from her jacket pocket. "I dropped it off in my office on the way over here," she said. "It's in the locked drawer of my desk." The inspector reached his hand out to take the key. Mary started to give it to him, then right before her hand touched his, she tossed the key over Bowers's shoulder, and through the open window behind him which led outside.

"Happy hunting, _Inspector_ ," she spat, then turned sharply on her heel and left the office, slamming the door so hard it cracked the frosted glass in the middle of it.

* * *

It was early evening when people started to gather in Terry Bogard's hotel room. Joe Higashi showed up first, still wearing his fighting outfit, and took one of the chairs by the desk. Mai showed up a few seconds later, also still in her fighting outfit. Her cheeks were flushed, as if she had just spent the last several minutes screaming her guts out at someone.

"Andy will be here in a minute," she huffed as she entered the room, then sat down on the dresser and crossed her legs. Sure enough, Andy showed up a few minutes later, his own cheeks flushed as if he had just spent the last several minutes being screamed at. He did his best to avoid Mai's glare as he took the other chair at the desk.

"Okay," said Terry as he shut the door. "First, let me say the obvious. As far as what Andy said or did earlier today, what's done is done. Andy, whatever is going on, it's up to you and Mai to sort it out on your own time. This is a strategy meeting, that's it."

"Fine with me," Mai said from her seat on the dresser. Andy, who was looking down at the floor, simply nodded.

Before Terry could continue, there was a knock on the door. Terry answered it and saw Mary standing there with several file folders in her hands, a cold fire burning behind her green eyes.

Terry blinked in surprise. "Mary, I... wasn't expecting to see you so soon."

Mary entered the room and explained why she was so early. Terry stood there, wanting to put his hand on her shoulder, but at the same time telling himself he shouldn't. Instead, he simply said: "I'm sorry, Mary."

The blond woman shrugged. "It's partially my fault. He baited me, and I took the bait. I'm not happy, either, but at the same time, something tells me that it's going to get a lot harder to be a good cop in this city. You remember that radio I got yesterday about the commissioner? He was killed when someone put a bomb in his car. How much you wanna bet whoever the mayor appoints to take his place is in Geese Howard's pocket? Also, my superior, the one who suspended me, recently got promoted back to his old job as Inspector. I don't know if I ever mentioned this, but he was suspected of corruption under Geese Howard's reign. The DA couldn't even get an indictment due to lack of evidence. And... he's had a man following me. No worries, I picked him out on my way over here. By the time he wakes up, he won't know where to start looking for me."

"You're not worried about repercussions?" Asked Terry.

Mary shook her head. "I know this officer. If he wanted to press charges, it would mean he'd have to admit a woman beat him up. He'd rather cut his right hand off first." The detective then heard a small chortle from the dresser where Mai sat.

"Mary, I _am_ sorry about your job," said Terry. "But... about Geese Howard... how much do you know about what's going on?"

Mary tossed the file folders she was holding onto the desk. "I've had a suspicion that he was alive. Geese has been another hobby of mine since I came to South Town. Those files contain all the research I've been doing in my free time. Crack them open, take a look."

Joe opened the top folder and saw a series of enlarged photographs. They were aerial views of forests all over the world. Terry moved closer to the desk, and Mai got up from her seat on the dresser to peek over Joe's shoulder.

Each photograph they looked at showed large rings of felled trees that had been knocked over outwards in a circular pattern, like spokes on a wheel. Some circles were bigger than others, but the pattern was always the same.

"The top photograph is from the Florida Everglades," Mary explained. "The next one, Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. Then Epping Forest in England. Then Zuhai Park in Yixing, China. And under that, near the banks of the Vasyugan River in West Siberia."

"A circular pattern of destruction," Terry noted. "Just like Geese's raging storm attack from earlier."

Joe nodded. "And in each of these pictures, the circle keeps getting bigger."

"Makes sense," Mai pointed out. "Look at the dates on the photos as we move to the bottom of the stack. Each date gets more and more recent."

"Ufologists were quick to jump in and blame the obvious," Mary went on. "And for a while, that might have carried water. Until people started to find bodies. Open the second folder."

Andy did as she said, and inside the four of them saw a copy of a mortician's report with a photograph of a middle-aged woman clipped to it. "She was found in the Columbian jungle, at the edge of one of those circles, with her neck broken," said Mary. "But before that killed her, something did _severe_ damage to her internal organs. The morticians never figured out the cause, but people like you and I learned at a young age how to spot the signature of chi-based attacks. Now look at the next photo."

Joe lifted the report, and underneath they saw several photographs of a young man, also with his neck broken. There were also some close-up pictures of the backs of his shins, which showed some peculiar welts.

"He was found in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, again not far from another one of those blasted out circles. As you can see, his legs were broken first."

Andy rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he studied the photographs. "These marks... Billy's work, you think?"

"Makes sense," said Terry. "Guy tries to run, Billy breaks his legs, and then Geese finishes him off."

"Witnesses," Andy said as he exhaled sharply. "Geese has been off on a training journey of his own, and wanted people to keep thinking he was dead."

Joe shook his head. "It's a tragedy. Chances are these people never even heard of Geese Howard, but we all know he wouldn't take chances."

"Most of us would know, you mean," Mai said with a huff.

Terry turned to face the detective. "Mary... you said Geese was also your hobby. Why have you been tracking his activities?"

Mary sat down at the foot of Terry's bed, folded her arms across her breast. "Because... Geese was once my grandfather's student."

The other three heads now turned as one to face her. "Your grandfather was also a sensei?" Mai asked.

Mary nodded. "He's a Kobojutsu master. This happened before any of us were born. My grandfather told me the story after I turned eighteen. Geese was young, about eight or nine, when Grandpa took him in as a student. Terry already knows about my family's strong ethical code when it comes to studying martial arts. So it didn't take my grandfather long to see that Geese's motives for training were impure. After only a few months, he told Geese that he was no longer going to teach him until Geese learned to conquer his desires. Geese left my grandfather's dojo that night, but not before raiding the dojo's archives and making off with a few things from Grandpa's collection. My grandfather considers it his biggest failure. He's continued to train students, but I know he still suffers with the shame of what Geese did to him. So I've been keeping tabs on Geese ever since Grandpa told me the story, hoping that someday I can get back what was stolen and help my grandfather reclaim his honor."

For a moment, the room was silent as Andy, Joe and Mai regarded the detective in a new light. Mai looked briefly over at Terry, once more noticing the look in the elder Bogard's eyes, which were shining just a little brighter with that glint that Mai had seen last night in the gym. "I misjudged you when we first met, Mary," said the kunoichi. "In my country, few things are more noble than a deep respect for one's elders. I'm sure your grandfather is proud of you."

"Thanks, Princess," Mary said with her trademark smirk.

"What did Geese take?" Asked Terry.

"Writings on advanced Kobojutsu techniques, mostly," said Mary. "Secret stuff that was supposed to stay within the family. But there were a few documents on Asian history that caught his eye too. One of them was a detailed history of the Qin Dynasty in China."

The four friends all exchanged knowing glances. "Maybe that's where Geese first learned about Jin Scrolls," said Joe, saying out loud what they were all thinking.

Now it was Mary's turn to be surprised, though she still kept her expression neutral. "What are Jin Scrolls?"

"Well, first I should ask you if you've ever heard of spirit scrolls," Terry said to her.

Mary thought for a moment. "My grandfather mentioned those. Namely that he hoped none of the writings Geese had stolen contained any information about them. So naturally, I did some homework on the subject. I know how spirit scrolls work, but I don't know about the Jin Scrolls."

Terry then told Mary what Xiang had told him and Andy about Qin Wang and Qin Kong.

"Two spirits in one scroll?" Mary asked. "How would that be possible? And how would these generals know how to craft a spirit scroll?"

"We read something about that earlier," said Joe. "After the Qin Dynasty started to unravel, China was ravaged by a civil war. During that time, it was rumored that Qin Kong Long fell seriously ill. His son managed to rally an army of twenty-five thousand men using only the reputation of the Long clan, and then marched on a provincial city to the north. They laid siege to it for a month, claiming that the city was harboring agents who had played a hand in the death of Emperor Huang's son."

"The strange thing is," continued Mai, "That after the city surrendered and his army was inside, Qin Wang never searched for these agents. He relinquished his share of the city's spoils to his lieutenants, and he left the city with one hostage: a scribe who was employed in the service of the city's lord. No one knew the man's name, but accounts say that he was a bit eccentric. He knew several old regional dialects of Mandarin that had fallen out of use, and his friends say he described events in the Xia and Shang Dynasties, which were centuries earlier, as if he had been there."

"Master Jubei mentioned that the first spirit scrolls were created by a sage who lived about five thousand years ago," Andy said. "Could that sage's spirit have been in this scribe?"

Mary nodded. "Makes sense. Qin Wang's father is dying, somehow Qin Wang knew about spirit scrolls. Maybe he had learned some things about them during his time as an adviser in the Emperor's court. He finds out about an eccentric scribe who seems to know things far beyond his years, he uses his reputation to rally an army, captures the man, and forces him to craft spirit scrolls to house him and his father. Considering how old the spirit of the sage would have been by then, maybe he had learned how to seal more than one spirit in a scroll."

"Well, what we do know for certain," Terry said grimly. "Is that Geese now has all of these scrolls. That mansion we were at earlier belonged to a collector who recently bought a Jin Scroll on the black market. We were trying to stop Geese from getting that scroll but were too late. Could Geese know how to read them?"

"If not, I hope he doesn't try to read them," said Joe. "One of the more somber things that came up in our research was a rumor that the Shaanxi earthquake in 1556, which claimed the lives of over eight-hundred thousand people, was caused when someone misread the mantra on a spirit scroll."

"Geese isn't stupid," said Mary. "I'm sure that he's read the same rumor, and so is going to make sure that he has the mantra memorized flawlessly before he uses the scrolls."

"So, that gives us some time to find him," Terry pointed out. "Right now, our best course of action is to go to the tournament tomorrow, and keep our eyes and ears open. Maybe if we can find out who the sponsor is, that will give us a clue as to Geese's location."

"One of my informants is working on that," Mary pointed out. "I'll reach out to him tomorrow."

"Does he know about your suspension?" Terry asked.

Mary shook her head. "Way I see it, it's a need to know basis, and he doesn't need to know."

Terry nodded. "There's one more thing," he said. "Earlier, when we encountered Geese, these two boys in Tang suits showed up and demanded the scroll Geese had just stolen. Any idea who they might be?"

Mary frowned for a long minute. "No. They've never come up in any of my research on Geese."

"Whoever they were," said Andy. "Geese didn't seem happy to see them." He looked down at the carpet, trying to ignore the glare that Mai gave him, as she had missed seeing the two boys, as well.

"Maybe we could join forces with them," said Joe. "If we ever see them again. If Geese if their enemy, they might be our friends."

"We'll deal with that if we see them again," said Terry. "Right now, I think we should just relax here for the evening, and try to regroup a little. We've got a big day tomorrow, so let's rest up for it." He turned to the detective. "Mary, how can we get in touch with you?"

"I'll be around," Mary said as she rose from the bed. "I won't be going far from this hotel. I have a feeling that my apartment might not be safe at the moment."

"I'm going over to my room to grab a shower and a change of clothes," said Mai. "Then I'm going to the bar. Terry, will you or Joe come tell me if there's a change in plans?"

Terry's eyes flicked briefly over to Andy, who was still looking sheepishly at the carpet. Then, he nodded. "Sure, Mai."

"Thank you," Mai said, and left the room.

After she was gone, Andy got up from his chair. "I'm gonna go work out in the gym," he said.

"Mind if I tag along?" Joe asked him.

"Not at all," Andy said with a nod, and the two friends left Terry and Mary alone.

Mary said nothing as she gathered up the file folders from the desk. Finally, Terry asked her: "Mary, why didn't you tell me you knew about Geese being alive?"

"Because I _didn't_ know," she said with a shrug. "I suspected, but I didn't know for sure until today. Also, what Geese took from me... it's really nothing compared to what he's taken from you."

"I don't see how that makes a difference."

Mary looked at him then, her green eyes regarding Terry with something that almost looked like sadness. "I think it makes a big difference," she said. "Terry, a bunch of books and parchments are nothing compared to the life of your father. Or your lover."

Terry started, then. "You... know about Lily?"

Mary exhaled sharply, turned her gaze away from him. "She was in your file... and also Howard's file. I guess... I never mentioned that because I... I..."

Terry took a step forward, placed a hand on her shoulder despite his voice of reason screaming for him not to. "Because what?" He asked softly.

Mary's gaze went back to him, her poker face restored. "Nothing. Never mind." She shrugged off Terry's hand and exited the room quickly, leaving the elder Bogard alone and wondering.

To be continued...


	11. Chapter 10

**Fatal Fury: The Vengeful Spirits**

by

RobertCop3

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games or the anime. "Mad About You" is written by Paula Jean Brown, James Whelan, and Mitchel Young Evans, and was originally the copyright of IRS Records. I'm posting this fic for free, and make no money off of it.

NOTE: This is one of those chapters where I reference my other Fatal Fury fanfics quite a bit. So you may want to check those out for context, if you haven't already done so. Yeah, I'm blowing my own horn. But I'm still high on the positive reviews.

Also, thanks again to fic writer RenkonNairu. You influenced a small part of this chapter, as well (you'll probably spot it when you come to it).

* * *

 _Chapter Ten: Hearts Entwined_

Joe Higashi did not consider himself skilled in relationship matters. He knew plenty about women, or liked to think he did, and knew even more about how to pick them up. But he also knew his limitations, and knew that he was just a player, albeit a very good one, but a player nonetheless. He was no stranger to the opposite sex, but he had yet to be in a serious, committed relationship that lasted longer than a month or two. At this point in his life, he was still young, and just interested in having fun before he settled down.

But despite his lack of experience in actual monogamous relationships, Joe could tell that something was wrong. Usually when he sparred with Andy Bogard, their matches could go on for quite a while, and more often than not ended with Joe getting knocked on his ass by his friend. Now, however, Joe had just knocked Andy down for the third time in under ten minutes.

The blond man sat on the canvas of the ring, making no move to get up. After a moment, Joe walked over to him and extended his hand. "Andy, you feeling okay tonight?" He asked. "I can't remember the last time I've beaten you this easily."

Andy's blue eyes looked far away as he accepted the kickboxer's hand and was pulled to his feet. "I'm fine," he said. "I think maybe I should just stick to basic exercises for now." He stepped out of the ring, made his way over to another part of the gym, and started to rhythmically hammer one of the heavy punching bags with the palms of his hands. Andy's jaw was clenched, his brow furrowed in determination, as if there was nothing in the world at that moment but him and the bag.

After watching him for several minutes, Joe made his way over to Andy's side. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Joe asked his friend.

Andy stopped hitting the bag, grabbed a towel from the rack sitting alongside it, and took a moment to wipe his face off. "Sure," he said.

The two of them sat down on one of the empty benches, and for a moment, Joe looked down at the floor. Then he cleared his throat. "Andy, you know how I feel about Mai," he said. "I try to put up with her for your sake, since it's obvious she's not going anywhere. That's why no one is more surprised than me when I say that today, I'm on her side."

Andy said nothing, so Joe continued: "I mean, lying to her to keep her out of a potential fight... that was pretty messed up. Ever since that whole thing with the Armor of Mars... I dunno, I always figured that when stuff like this happened, the four of us... you, me, Terry and Mai... would always fight it as a team. My own personal feelings about your girlfriend aside, she's good in a fight."

Andy nodded slowly. "You're right," he said. "But this is like nothing she's ever faced. The God of War nearly killed all of us, but... he was still no Geese Howard. There's only one Geese Howard, and you and I both know what he's like."

Joe thought back for a minute to his earlier conversation with Mai in the library. "Andy, I don't know why Lily's death upsets you so much. It's okay, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. But... Mai is a big girl. And hopefully you remember that she _is_ a trained ninja. I mean, you both had the same sensei. I think she knew what she was signing up for that night in the dojo when she said she was coming with us. And if she doesn't, maybe you should tell her."

Andy said nothing, he simply resumed staring at the floor. After a moment, he felt Joe's hand on his shoulder.

"I was an only child, Andy," said Joe, his voice suddenly very serious, a tone that Andy was not used to hearing in him. He turned his head slightly to face his friend. "You and Terry... well, you've become like the brothers I never had." He shrugged, then. "Which I guess would make Mai the annoying little sister I never had. What I'm trying to say is that... I really like being part of a team. It feels almost like a family. I hope that you can fix this."

"Me too," said Andy, and flashed a weak smile. Joe gave him a pat on his shoulder, then rose and walked out of the gym. Andy sat there for a long time, lost in thought, before he got up and resumed exercising.

* * *

Mai Shiranui found a stool in a relatively empty expanse of the bar and took her seat. She turned slightly, and looked out over the tables in the hotel's restaurant. The only face she saw that she recognized was Terry's friend Kim Kaphwan, who was eating dinner with his wife and two sons.

 _Here for the tournament, no doubt,_ she thought. _He looks recovered from his last fight. And my God, his boys have grown! I don't think it's even been a year since I saw them last._ Mai would normally love an opportunity to chat with them, if only for an excuse to hold one of Kim's boys, but they were eating dinner, and also she didn't feel like socializing right now.

She turned back towards the bar and picked up a drink menu. Music was playing from speakers in the restaurant's ceiling, and as Mai glanced over the menu, she half-listened to the song being piped in:

 _I'm mad about you  
You're mad about me babe  
Couple of fools run wild aren't we  
Pushing the day into the nighttime  
Somewhere between the two  
We start to see_

 _Mad about you (I'm mad about you)  
Lost in your eyes (Reason aside)  
Mad about love (Mad about you)  
You and I _

_Something 'bout you  
Right here beside me  
Touches the touched part of me like I can't believe  
Pushing the night into the daytime  
Watching the sky's first light  
While the city sleeps... _

Mai found herself swaying almost dreamlike to the music. Usually, she would feel like getting up and dancing to a song like this, but tonight, it reminded her too much of Andy. Yes, she was angry at him for lying to her, but more than that, she was scared. Andy had finally been starting to really let her into his world, and now it felt like he was slipping away from her again. She still didn't know his real feelings, had never known them. What if he slipped too far away, and this time, she didn't get him back?

Mai took a deep, calming breath. _Calm down, girl,_ she told herself. _You know that you love him. Your love_ will _see you through. Now, more than ever, you have to believe that._

"Have you made up your mind, miss?" Mai's thoughts were interrupted by the bartender's question.

Mai glanced quickly over the wines available, saw that they did not seem to have any sake. Not that she was expecting them to. "Do you have any pink wines?" She asked the bartender. "I'll take a glass of whatever you have open, if it's under five bucks."

"Right away, miss," the bartender said with a nod. He produced a half-empty bottle of rosé from a fridge under the bar, pulled out the stopper, and started to pour. Mai glanced at the label on the bottle, and noticed a familiar figure on it.

 _Isn't that..._ She thought to herself. She looked closer at the man on the label. Yes, thick black hair and beard, square jaw, red cape about his shoulders... after Germany, Mai would always recognize Laurence Blood instantly.

"You're kidding," she said out loud. " _That's_ where he went after his boss died?"

"It's just booze, Princess," Mai heard Mary Ryan's voice behind her. "You don't need to be that attached to it." The detective stepped up to the bar and took the stool next to Mai. "It all comes out the same in the end."

"Yeah, I know," Mai explained as she accepted the full glass from the bartender. "I was just thinking out loud about what a small world this is, that's all."

"That's what they say," Mary said with a nod.

The bartender's gaze continued to linger on Mai, or rather a certain part of her, until Mary rapped her fist on the bar, making him jump. "Yes, what can I get you, miss?" He asked quickly.

"Know how to make a Blue Mary?" Mary asked him.

When the bartender shook his head, Mary motioned him closer with her finger. She then leaned across the bar, and whispered in his ear, too low for Mai to hear what was being said.

After a moment, the bartender raised his eyebrows. "You're sure, miss? Some of those things don't sound like they mix."

"Did I stutter?" Mary asked as she fixed him with her flawless poker face.

The bartender blushed and shook his head. "You... you're the customer, miss. I'll have it ready in a sec."

"What is a Blue Mary?" Mai asked as the bartender worked, genuinely curious. "I've never heard of that one."

Mary shrugged. "Long story."

Mai raised her hand slightly, indicating the full wine glass. "I have nowhere to be."

So Mary explained the origins of the drink to Mai, the same way she'd explained it to Terry that night in the Pao Pao. By the time Mary was finished, the bartender had set the brimming martini glass down in front of her.

"This stays between you and me," Mary explained to the bartender. "Your tip depends on it. Anyone else asks about this drink, you've never heard of it. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am," the bartender said with a nod, and then moved down towards the other end of the bar, glad to be getting away from the two women.

Mary raised the glass to her lips, and Mai couldn't help but emit a small squeak as she saw the liquid change colors. "Do... do you mind if I take a sip?" She asked Mary.

Mary made that attempt at a smirk that she liked to make, and slid the glass towards Mai. "If you can name even one ingredient in there, your next round is on me," she said.

Mai took a small sip from the glass, swirled the liquid in her mouth... and found that she couldn't think of a single thing that might be in it. First it was sweet, then it was bitter, then sweet again as she pushed it to the back of her throat (only now with a bit of spice). Hints of raspberry were just as quickly replaced by hints of marshmallow, which themselves were replaced by hints of orange peel, then juniper berry, then licorice. First, they were distinct, separate, then suddenly Mai tasted them all at once. Finally, the last lingering drop of the elixir on her tongue went back to raspberry.

Mai shook her head. "I admit defeat," she said, and slid the glass back towards Mary, whose smirk had gotten bigger.

"Don't feel bad," Mary told her as she took the glass back. "No one's ever been able to guess anything." She raised her glass in Mai's direction. "But here's to trying."

Mai clinked her glass against Mary's, then swirled the wine in it and took a sip. _Wow_ , she thought. _That's actually really good. Of course, it's not good enough to stop me from challenging Blood to a rematch if I ever see him again._

"Must be some really good wine," said Mary, noticing the look on Mai's face.

"It's a long story," said Mai.

"I have nowhere to be," Mary fired back.

So Mai wound up telling her all about the trip she and Andy had taken to Germany, back when Krauser was alive. When Mai was done, Mary shook her head. "If I ever needed to be rescued, I don't know if I could live with myself after that," she remarked.

"Well, getting captured wasn't pleasant," Mai said. "But I kind of liked the rescue. I had read about it all the time in my romance novels, the woman being rescued by the man she loves after he's beaten her captors to a pulp, then he carries her off in his arms. I don't know if I'd ever want to do it again, but it was nice to experience that just once in my life."

"I'll take your word for it," Mary said with a shrug.

"Some other nice things came out of it, though," Mai continued. "Andy and I have known each other a long time, and I've known since High School that I was in love with him. But I could never figure out what his own feelings were, if he only saw me as a childhood pal or something more than that. His rescuing me helped him to realize that he likes me as more than a friend."

"Hm," Mary said with a nod, clearly losing interest in the conversation.

"Of course," Mai added quickly, having picked up on what Mary was into. "Another perk was that it eventually helped me to see that I was getting out of practice."

That caught Mary's attention. "How so?" The blond woman asked.

"Well," Mai explained. "There was a period where Andy was gone for a year, first to come here and fight Geese, and then off on a training journey. While he was away, I stuck to my exercise routines pretty religiously. When Andy got back, I spent too much time following him around, and not enough time on training. I think it showed in Germany. I lost to Blood too quickly. My fault, I made a stupid beginner's mistake. Had I been more focused, I'd have heard him sneaking up behind me _before_ he got close enough to grab me.

"And then later on, Andy and I had go to China on a completely different matter, and I got in another fight there that _definitely_ could have, and should have gone a lot better for me. But Germany is where the problem started. Since Andy and I got back to Japan, though, I've managed to get back into my old training routines, and stick to them, and today I noticed a difference. I think it's actually helped my relationship with Andy, too. On the days when he's at the Shiranui dojo, he and I usually practice together, which is easy. We've both studied the same arts since we were kids."

"Where is Romeo, anyway?" Mary asked her. "The way his brother described it, I thought you two were joined at the hip. Haven't seen much of that since I met you."

Mai took a sip of wine. "We're having a fight," she said simply.

Mary chose to keep her opinions on relationships to herself, and instead she merely said: "I see."

Mai shrugged. "It's funny. Several months ago, Andy and I were involved in something that... had a big effect on both of us."

Mary nodded. "The Dead Sea Incident? I heard about it."

"What you might not have heard," Mai went on, "is that we lost someone close to all of us, especially to Terry. It... made Andy want to act more like what he called 'a real boyfriend' around me. He's been doing really well, which is no surprise, he's always been extremely dedicated when he fixes his mind on a goal. I told him recently that I felt like we've been a real couple these last few months. And real couples fight sometimes. So I guess we were overdue for one."

Mary nodded, and sipped her cocktail.

"Something about having to come back here and face Geese Howard again has really gotten to him," Mai went on. "He didn't want me to come here with him, and he's refusing to tell me what's bothering him. Then today, he lied to me to try and keep me from going with them to the mansion. That's why we're fighting. When he's ready, though, I'm sure he'll tell me what's wrong. It doesn't matter how big the problem is, if the love we have is real, I believe that love will see us through."

Mary snorted at that. "I really don't get you, Princess," she said.

"You can call me Mai, you know," the ninja girl said, her brow furrowed in annoyance. "Don't be so afraid to try using first names."

"What's the point?" Asked Mary. "People know that I'm talking to them, regardless of whether I use their first name or not."

"First names are personal," Mai pointed out. "Could it be you avoid them because you don't want to get attached?"

Mary sat up a little. "How the hell could you know anything about me? We just met yesterday."

Mai sipped her wine. "I've seen it before. Andy was the same way, when I first met him, always trying to control his emotions, keep people from getting in. I feel like his brother has also been doing a lot of that lately, ever since what happened in the Dead Sea. You have that in common with Terry. Maybe that's why he likes you." Mai took another sip of wine and thought: _I've had this conversation before, haven't I? Though last time, it was a bit more pleasant._

Mary gazed at her for a moment, keeping her green eyes neutral. "He does _not_ like me."

Mai shook her head, gave the blond woman a smirk. "I think he does. I can see it in his eyes when he talks to you, or talks about you. Plus I watched you two sparring last night for a little bit. I saw how you looked at each other, then. I've always been good at reading people."

"I'm a _detective_ , Princess," Mary said defensively. "I can read people, too. And I can tell you that Terry Bogard definitely does _not_ like me."

"Maybe you can't see it because you're reading him with your eyes," said Mai. "Try reading him with your heart." She shrugged. "Or it's entirely possible that you just don't _want_ to see it. Because I think you like him too."

Mary snorted again. "See, _this_ is why I don't get you. You're a ninja. You _know_ that we live violent, dangerous lives where friends, family, lovers... any one of them could die at any minute. I don't see how anyone could live a life like that and still believe in all this hopeless romantic shit."

"I don't see how people with lives like ours _couldn't_ believe in it," Mai said, and took another sip of her wine.

Mary eyed her suspiciously. "What are you talking about?"

"You're right, Mary," Mai explained. "I _am_ a hopeless romantic. But that's because I need to believe in love. I need to believe in it _because_ our lives are so violent. If all we had to live for was fighting, then I wouldn't want to live. Because you wouldn't really be living. You'd only be existing. Surviving. There's no meaning to a life like that. It's the bonds of love that give my life meaning, to know that I'm fighting for something more than just myself. So I choose to fight with love in my heart, and the hope that maybe one day, I can have a peaceful life with the man that I want to marry."

Mai glanced over at Mary, saw that the blond woman was slowly running her hand up and down the sleeve of her green jacket, a faraway look in her eyes. "What if you lose him before that happens?" Mary said softly. "Was knowing him worth the pain that you're left with?" For a moment, Mai saw a small gleam in the corner of Mary's eye. Then the detective composed herself again, downed the rest of her drink, and tapped the empty glass against the bar. "Can I get another?" She shouted to the bartender.

Mai was silent until the bartender had set another cocktail in front of Mary. Then, the kunoichi turned and said: "You were in love once. With the man who gave you that jacket."

Mary stared at her suspiciously. "Who told you?"

"No one," Mai answered. "Like I said, I'm good at reading people with my heart."

Mary picked up her drink and sipped it. "Well, you're right. But what does it matter now? He's gone, and I'm still here. And that's the way it is."

"To answer your question from earlier," Mai said. "Yes, I could lose Andy or anyone else in my life at any moment. And yes, it would hurt to lose them. It would probably hurt more than I can imagine. But it _would_ still be worth it, to know that they touched my life in some way while they were here. Not a day goes by that I don't miss my grandfather. But I try to remember all the happy times I had with him, and everything that he taught me. As long as you remember those things, the people you love are never really gone. They'll always be a part of you. I would only regret the things I never said to them while they were still here. I would never regret having known them."

The detective had been drinking her second Blue Mary a little faster than the first, as it was already half gone. "Maybe that's another reason Terry feels something for you," said Mai after a long silence. "He knows what you're going through."

Mary turned suddenly. "It was Lily, right? I saw her picture in Terry's file. When I first met him, I... recited off to him most of what I read in the file, but I chose to leave her name out. I didn't know why at the time, maybe I felt some sympathy for him without even realizing it. But there was another girl, too. I saw her picture in his wallet. She wasn't in the file. Is she the one you mentioned earlier?"

Mai nodded. "It's not my place to say any more. I love gossip as much as the next girl, but even I consider that off limits. If you want to know the whole story, you should ask Terry."

"Maybe I will." Mary finished her drink and got up from her seat.

"Was he one in a million?" Mai asked her suddenly.

"What?" Mary said, confused.

"The man who gave you your jacket," said Mai. "Was he one in a million?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"A very simple one."

Mary's green eyes once more took on that look like she was somewhere else. After a moment, she softly answered: "His name was Butch. And he was one in a _billion_."

Mai nodded. "I have just one more question, and you don't have to answer it now. Do you think Butch would have wanted you to live, or simply exist?"

Mary stood there for a long while, not speaking. Then, she found her wallet, and dropped some money on the bar. "It... was nice talking to you, Mai," she said absently.

"You too, Mary. I hope you find what you're looking for. I mean that." Mai raised her glass as the blond woman walked away, in the direction of the elevators. After she was gone from sight, Mai motioned to the bartender for a refill.

* * *

After his workout was finished, Andy went up to his and Mai's room and knocked on the door. He got no answer, so he knew it was safe to go in. He grabbed a shower, then put on a clean pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He left the room after getting dressed, with no clear idea of where he was going, and soon found himself on the roof of the hotel again.

The railing he stood in front of this time gave him a view of the beach. It was evening, and the sun would be setting soon. The sunlight sparkled on the waves, but the tranquility of the scene was lost on Andy. He found himself thinking only about Mai.

He thought about what happened earlier in the Hughes Mansion. He had been so hell-bent on getting to Mai, he had lost focus on his own opponent, and had nearly paid for that with his life. Which made it all the more ironic that Mai had saved _him_. Not only that, but she hadn't even needed his help in the first place.

He remembered what Joe had said downstairs: _Mai is a big girl... a trained ninja... you both had the same sensei._ Andy nodded to himself, recalling that Mai had trained with Hanzo even longer than Andy had. Suddenly, the younger Bogard found himself feeling very stupid, that he'd spent so much time lately worrying about her.

So he thought of something else: that feeling that had come over him after Mai had knocked Billy unconscious. How his gaze couldn't help but linger on her for a few seconds after that, noting the calculating look on her face as she'd scanned the room for her next target.

Mai usually gave him that feeling, when he saw her fight. Andy remembered Jerusalem, their battle with Panni and Hauer. How he had watched, mesmerized, unable to take his eyes off Mai as the kunoichi had defeated Panni with her Super Deadly Ninja Bee attack. Her grace, her precision, the way her long red hair whipped in the breeze created by her psychokinetic flames, the way that her eyes, her face had come alive with the thrill of battle. In that moment, Mai had never looked more beautiful. It was one of the reasons Andy had felt the uncontrollable urge to kiss her after their opponents had been dealt with.

When he and Mai had begun sparring together again after Andy had taken back his old room in Hanzo's dojo, Mai had beaten him rather easily the first few times they had practiced, because Andy usually found himself distracted by her: how she moved, the way she wielded her fans with the poise and sensuality of a dancer, combined with the accuracy of an assassin; the way her large, perky breasts would bounce ever so slightly beneath the flimsy fabric of her uniform every time her feet hit the tatami mats; the way the tails on the back of her outfit just barely covered her shapely, thong-clad backside.

Andy found that he always needed to use more focus than usual when sparring with Mai. He was aware that as a kunoichi, Mai had learned to use sensuality to distract her opponents. But what Andy felt when he saw her fight... he didn't think that was mere distraction. It was something else, a warmer feeling deep inside of him. Could it be...?

He turned away from the railing and went back downstairs. He had no idea what was compelling him, but he soon found himself outside the door to Terry's room. He stood there for several minutes, hesitating, before he finally knocked.

Terry opened the door wearing only his jeans and a white tank top, having shed his cap and his jacket. He looked surprised to see Andy, but he lost that look rather quickly. "Andy, can we spar another night?" He asked. "I'm not trying to pussy out on you, I'm just... really not in the mood right now."

"I didn't come here for that," said Andy. "I was hoping that I could talk to you."

For a moment, Terry's eyes came open. It wasn't like Andy to come to him for advice. "Sure," he finally managed to say. "Come on in."

"Thanks," Andy entered the room and sat down in one of the chairs over by the desk. For a few moments, Terry just watched as Andy sat there, wringing his hands together nervously.

"You hungry?" Terry finally asked, trying to ease the tension. "I was thinking of ordering some pizza."

Andy shook his head. "I'm not hungry, but thanks," he said. "Terry, I really feel guilty asking you this question, but I don't know who else to ask." Terry simply nodded, so Andy went on: "How... how do you know if you love someone?"

To Andy's surprise, the elder Bogard started to laugh. "Really? You mean _you_ haven't figured out you're in love with Mai?" It had not been the reaction Andy was expecting, so he said nothing. "Andy," Terry continued with a shake of his head. "I think it's obvious to everyone _but_ you. I've seen how you look at her when she isn't looking at you. And don't take this the wrong way, Andy, I think she's a great person, but you and I both know she can be pretty tenacious. I can name plenty of guys who would run for the hills if their girlfriend was as clingy, or as chatty as Mai. But you've always stood by her and put up with it, usually without saying a word. And today... well, lying to her like that wasn't cool, and although this doesn't excuse what you did, I know why you did it."

Andy nodded. "Yeah. I was afraid something would happen to her."

Terry shook his head. "Well, you wouldn't have done that if you didn't feel _something_ for her. I can see why you might be confused by what you're feeling, Andy. Dad was killed before we were old enough for him to give us 'the talk,' and I'm going to assume that none of the adults in Mai's household ever gave you the talk either, when you were growing up in Japan?"

Andy actually found himself chuckling a little, once more amazed at his brother's insight. "No, they didn't," he affirmed.

"Andy, being in love is not something you _know_ , because it isn't a thought." Terry tapped two fingers against his own breastbone. "It's a feeling that comes from in here. A feeling they give you that no other person does. But that feeling is different for everyone. I can tell you how Lily and Sulia made _me_ feel, but I can't tell you what that should feel like for you, because I've never seen Mai as anything except a friend. And a potential sister-in-law. You've gotta look inside yourself, bro. How does she make _you_ feel? And is there anyone else in the world who makes you feel the same way?"

Andy didn't respond. Instead, he found himself thinking about Mai. He remembered high school with her, how she could turn every boy's head after puberty had started to bestow its gifts upon her, but she'd only had eyes for Andy. He remembered how she would sit in the cafeteria or at recess while another boy hit on her, that crafty smile on her lips, treating it almost like a game, waiting for just the right moment to shoot them down with her trademark: "But... you're not as cute as Andy." Part of him found it embarrassing, but he realized now that deep inside, it had also made him feel special. Which was why he chose to feel embarrassed.

 _I'm the only man she's ever had eyes for. And honestly, I don't think I've ever looked at another woman the way I've looked at her._

He remembered the night he had been practicing his katas by the pond (he must have been about sixteen), when he heard a noise and went to investigate. He'd seen Mai swimming naked in the pond, and despite every fiber of his being telling him it was wrong, he could not stop looking at her. He remembered Mai's revelation to him years later that she knew he was peeping on him, which was why she had never said anything. He wondered now if that was why Mai had spent so much time that night standing knee deep in the shallows, turning slowly around while repeatedly pouring buckets of water over herself.

He remembered his seventeenth birthday, when Mai cooked him spaghetti and natto for dinner, even though she didn't touch a single bite of it, and instead had cooked something different for her and Hanzo. He remembered how that made him want to try and cook for her a few weeks later, though he somehow managed to dirty every dish in the kitchen making just one batch of sweet bean buns, and he'd also burned the buns until they were black all the way through. But he also remembered how Mai's eyes had lit up like a Christmas tree because he had tried to make dessert for her, and how she had helped him clean up afterwards.

He remembered that day on the raft when he had gotten back to Japan, how Mai had angrily confronted him. Despite how furious she was at him, she had still looked so bewitching (and Andy could swear that her bust size had increased by another inch or two in the year he'd been gone). He remembered Germany, the hot anger surging through his veins as Laurence Blood calmly stated he'd punished Mai for overstepping her bounds, how Andy had beaten him so viciously because he was afraid of what that might have meant, and finally the relief that washed over him when Mai dropped into his arms, and Andy saw that she was all right.

He remembered the first time he had ever seen Mai sleep, how peaceful and angelic she looked. How it had helped him see a new side of her, a side that he'd wanted to see more of. He remembered his realization, then, that Mai was more than just his friend.

He remembered how their relationship had been in the last eight months, how sometimes when he was training at the Yamada dojo, Mai would surprise him by showing up with bento boxes she had made, and the two would have a picnic after Andy was done practicing for the day. How sometimes, after a hard day of practice at the Shiranui dojo, Mai would sit behind him on the couch in the reading room, massaging his neck and shoulders while she talked about her day. She gave an _extremely_ good massage, so Andy usually only heard half of what she said, but he realized now that he just liked listening to her voice in his ear. That relaxed him more than her touch.

Some nights, they had lain side by side on a blanket in the courtyard and watched the stars. Mai loved stargazing, and had some knowledge of the constellations. She pointed several of them out to Andy, and Andy always thought they never looked like their names, but again, he just loved to hear the enthusiasm in Mai's voice.

He remembered the night of Hanzo's burial, holding Mai as she finally allowed herself to express her grief, Mai telling him afterwards the reason she had said it wasn't fair, Andy being amazed that she could still care so much about others despite her own loss. He realized now that although he missed Hanzo as well, the main reason he had been so sad was because _Mai_ had been so sad.

He also realized, thinking back over everything Mai had done for him, that he didn't like having her there to do these things. He simply liked having her _there_. Maybe that was why he left the dojo three years ago without saying goodbye. He knew if he had said goodbye to her, Mai would have asked to come with him, and even then, just as now, he had been afraid of something happening to her. Because he liked having her there. That feeling she gave him...

Andy started, then, as the realization struck him like a fist. _I love her,_ he thought. _I love Mai Shiranui._ It felt a little strange for him to be using those words together in a sentence, but even more than that, it felt right.

He didn't know how long he'd been sitting there, remembering. But Terry finally snapped him out of his reverie. "I'm no mind-reader, Andy," he said. "But judging by the look on your face, I think you may have answered your own question."

Andy smiled. "Yeah... yeah, I think I have."

"Then why are you still here?" Terry jerked his thumb at the door. "She's out there, man. Go find her. Tell her how you feel."

"Right." Andy nodded and rose from the chair. "Thanks, Terry."

"Anytime," the elder Bogard said. Andy was almost to the door when Terry called after him: "Andy, despite what's happened to me, don't ever think that you can't talk to me about these things. I don't begrudge you what you have with Mai. And I never will."

Andy nodded as he opened the door. "Thanks again!" He said on his way out.

As he made his way towards the elevator, Andy found himself passing Mary Ryan, who was going the opposite direction as him. "How's it hanging, Romeo?" She asked with a nod as she breezed past him.

"Um... good," Andy responded. Then, still high on his own revelation, he actually found himself asking: "How are you?"

"Ask me again tomorrow," said Mary as she continued down the hall towards Terry's room, never breaking stride. Andy paused for a moment, staring quizzically after her. Then he shrugged, remembering he had pressing business of his own, and continued on towards the elevator.

* * *

 _This is a mistake_ , Mary told herself as she stood outside the door to Terry's room. _You shouldn't be here. This won't end well._ But then that smaller voice inside of her (the one that hadn't wanted her to get off of Terry last evening) said that she really had nowhere else to be, and it also kept reminding her of the last thing Mai had said.

 _I really hate that voice right now_ , Mary thought _. All it's gonna do is cause me more pain._ Yet, for some reason, Mary couldn't stop herself from finally knocking on the door.

"You forget something, Andy?" She heard a voice on the other end. Then the door opened and Terry Bogard's eyes opened wide in surprise. "Mary! What... what are you..."

"I need to talk to you, Terry," she said. "Can I come in?"

 _No,_ Terry thought. _That would not be a good idea._ "Um, sure," he said.

Mary entered the room, took off her jacket, and sat down on his bed with the garment stretched across her lap. She sat there looking at it for a very long time, while Terry stood there and tried to look at something else, something that wasn't the swell of her breasts straining against the fabric of her crop top.

Finally, Mary looked up at him and spoke: "I'm sure you've figured out that this jacket is special to me."

Terry said nothing. He simply nodded. So Mary went on: "The man who gave me this... he wasn't just my Sambo teacher. He was also my lover."

Terry's mind connected the dots quickly. Mary had mentioned her Sambo teacher before, mainly how he was killed in action along with her father. Terry kept his mouth shut. Something told him that Mary didn't want sympathy right now.

"It probably doesn't surprise you that growing up," she said, "I was never what you'd call a girly-girl. I lost my mother when I was too young to remember her. So I was raised by men. My martial arts training started when I was six. All my friends were guys. I never got into any of the things most teenage girls get into: shopping, makeup, kissing boys, slumber parties... none of them interested me. When I got my first period, I didn't feel like a 'real woman.' I was just pissed because I got a splitting headache that made me miss Kobojutsu practice. When my dad asked me what I wanted for sweet sixteen, I told him I wanted permission to go on a training journey that summer."

Terry noticed she was rambling, something she normally never did. "Are you drunk?" He asked her. _Because if you are, that would be a great excuse to kick you out._

"No," she said defensively. "I'm not sober, because I had a couple of Blue Marys earlier, but I'm in control. What I'm trying to say is that, as you can imagine, I was the last person to believe in something like love at first sight. I thought it was sappy, romantic drivel. Which is why I was absolutely shocked the night... that it happened to me."

She looked back down at the jacket again, running her hand over it as she spoke. "My friends were throwing me a party. It was for two reasons. First, I was turning twenty. And second, I was graduating the academy, becoming a police officer. My father put in an appearance at the party. He had just been given his assignment at the Secret Service, and dragged his rookie partner along with him. It's funny. Butch was originally supposed to go on a date with someone else, but she stood him up right before he went off duty, so my father invited him to my party without telling me. As soon as our eyes met... there was a connection. We talked for hours, almost until sunrise. I knew I was neglecting the other guests, but I didn't care. I felt like I had known Butch my entire life, like I could tell him anything.

"At one point, we were outside, on the terrace, and I started to shiver. Butch took off his jacket... this one right here, and told me to put it on. I tried to give it back to him at the end of the party, and he said it was his birthday present to me, and also that it looked better on me.

"The days and nights I spent with him... it felt like before Butch, I had never really been _living_ , until he came along and showed me how. That year was easily the best year of my life. And then he was killed along with my father. My world was in pieces. I felt like I needed to get as far away as I could, so I accepted the first transfer out of the DC Metro area that I could get. It was shortly after I moved here to South Town that I lucked into the invention of the Blue Mary. I drank plenty of them, hoping that if I drank enough, I could wash away the pain. It didn't work."

Mary paused for a moment and looked down at the jacket as tears ran silently down her cheeks. Terry, ignoring the voice from earlier, found himself sitting down next to her on the bed and placing his hand on her shoulder. Mary did not shrug away from it. She sat there and just let the tears fall, not sobbing or making any other noise.

Finally, she rubbed her eyes with the backs of her hands, drying them with her gloves. Then she continued: "Eventually, I realized I needed to make a choice. I could either drink myself to death, or I could find something else to fill the void that Butch had left. I chose the latter, and threw myself into my job. It became my world. I devoted all my waking moments to being the best cop I could be. I became the youngest woman in the history of the South Town PD to be promoted off of patrol and to detective. I don't know if it's ever been enough, but it's been my reason for living. I haven't wanted to get close to another man, since it hurt too much to lose Butch."

She was silent, then, as if she had finished. Terry's hand was still on her shoulder, and she did not seem to be showing any discomfort from his touch. Finally, Terry spoke: "Mary, I am sorry about what happened to you. But... why are you telling me this?"

Mary turned to look at him, and placed her own hand on his knee. "Because unlike most of the people I know, you understand what it's like to lose someone that important. Like I said earlier, Terry, I know about Lily. I never said anything because I was afraid to bring back old memories for you. And I recently realized that the reason I even cared in the first place... is because I like you. I didn't want to. I've tried not to. I've done everything I can to silence that small voice inside of me, but I can't deny that I'm falling for you. You've awoken old feelings in me that I forgot I could have, feelings I've tried to bury ever since Butch died. But like him, you're bringing those feelings out so easily. Which is also why... I'm a little scared. Because I don't want my heart to break again."

Terry placed his other hand on Mary's knee, and for a moment he looked down at the floor. Mary could tell by the way he was blinking rapidly that he was debating something, but she chose to keep quiet. Finally, Terry looked her in her green eyes.

"I'm scared, too, Mary," he said. "Lily is not the only love that I've lost."

"The girl with the purple hair," Mary said softly. "I saw her picture fall out of your wallet the other night in the Pao Pao. Who was she?"

"Her name was Sulia," Terry explained. "She came to us for help. She was the reason that my friends and I searched for the Armor of Mars. She wanted to save her brother Laocorn from the armor's evil influence. I promised her that I would. But we weren't able to stop him from obtaining and assembling all the pieces of the armor..."

"He found the last piece in the Dead Sea," said Mary, her detective's mind connecting the dots, as usual.

Terry nodded, looked down at the floor again. "Me, Andy, Mai, Joe... we threw everything we had at him, but it barely slowed him down. He shrugged off our attacks like they were nothing. We were wounded, tired, running out of energy. What happened next... it's hard to explain. Sulia shared some sort of unspoken bond with her brother, because they were twins. Something extrasensory, like telepathy or telekinesis."

"I've heard of this phenomenon," said Mary. "Identical or fraternal twins forming a connection in the womb, one that they carry for the rest of their lives. It came up in one of my cases."

"Right," Terry went on, though Mary noticed his eyes were starting to shine with unshed tears. "In this case, when Sulia was hurt, Laocorn was able to feel her pain, and vice versa. For some reason, this link was strengthened by the armor. Sulia used this to stop him. She... stabbed herself through the heart to weaken her brother enough for me to knock him loose from the armor. It worked, and I was able to do it, but it was all for nothing. Laocorn himself was killed shortly after by the God of War. Not only did I fail to keep my promise, but I failed, for the second time, to protect the woman I loved.

"Like you, I had to make a choice. I had already hit the bottle once before, after I lost to Krauser, and didn't look forward to doing that again. So instead, I decided to devote myself completely to fighting. Since then, it's the only thing that's made me feel complete. When we met, I told you that the mayor was trying to cut out the city's heart with his street fighting ban. That was only a half-truth. The whole truth is, he was cutting out my heart, too."

To Terry's surprise, Mary actually leaned in then, rested her head against his shoulder. "Terry..." she said softly. "Do you think it ever stops hurting?"

Terry looked down at her for a moment, then put an arm around her and said: "I don't know, Mary. Some days, I'm able to not think about it. Other days, I think about it a lot."

Mary sat up then, and turned to look at him. "I know the feeling. Sulia... sounds like a noble woman. She gave her life to save the people she loved."

Terry nodded. "Doesn't make it any easier, though. I mean, Butch died doing his duty. I don't know if that makes it any easier for you."

Mary shook her head. "No, it never did."

For a long moment, the two gazed into each others' eyes, each now seeing and acknowledging the connection. Then, for reasons he could not explain, Terry leaned in, pressed his lips firmly against Mary's, and kissed her tenderly. Her lips were everything he had imagined they would be, but after a moment, he realized what he was doing and forced himself to pull away. Their eyes met again, and Terry saw the shock on her face.

"I'm sorry, Mary," he said, moving his gaze to the floor. "I... shouldn't have done that. If... if you want to leave, then go. I won't stop you."

Mary placed her hand on his cheek and turned his head to face her. For a long moment her green eyes remained fixed on him, studying him. Then she looked down at her jacket. Then her head tilted up towards the ceiling, her eyes shut, her brow furrowed as if deep in thought. Then she opened her eyes and nodded, like she had silently made up her mind about something. "I think it's time for bed, Terry," she said. "Can I use your bathroom?"

Terry nodded. "Yeah, sure."

Mary rose from the bed, and a few moments later, Terry Bogard heard the bathroom door shut. He took off his tank top and lay back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. _What the fuck were you thinking, Terry?_ He berated himself. _Do you_ want _her to die? Because that's exactly what will happen if you let her get too close. You are stupid, you know that? Think with your damn head, not with your heart or your balls. Stupid, stupid, stupid..._

A few minutes later, Terry heard a click over by the door. Satisfied that Mary was gone, he put his hands behind his head and shut his eyes.

"Asleep already, Bogard?" He heard a familiar voice speak. "I expected a god-slayer to have more stamina than this."

Terry sat up on the bed, his blue eyes widening as he saw Mary Ryan standing in the doorway to the bathroom, wearing only a lacy blue bra and panties. Her hands rested on the luscious curve of her hips, and her face wore a look of slight annoyance.

Terry blinked rapidly in confusion. "Mary... what... what are you... you said you were leaving."

Mary shook her head and walked closer to the bed. Terry tried his best to look her in the eyes, and not at the sensuous movements of her long legs, her curvy hips. "I never said I was leaving, Terry," she said as she reached the foot of the bed. "I said it was time for bed."

Terry studied her face for a moment. Her mouth was neutral as always, but her green eyes had that faraway look he'd seen in them before, only this time with a new light to them. "Mary... are you absolutely sure you're thinking straight?" He asked. "I don't want you to do anything you'll regret."

"I would only regret it if I left," Mary said firmly. "I had a chance to do some thinking before I came up here. Terry, for a long time I've been determined not to get close to anyone. Until now I've never had any problems. A man might catch my eye, but I'm able to push him out of my head like that.." She snapped her fingers for emphasis. "...and never think of him again. But despite all my efforts, and believe me I've tried, I haven't been able to get you out of my head since I met you.

"These past two years, I might as well have been dead myself. I've just been going through the motions of life, doing nothing more than merely existing. Just for tonight, I want to remember what it feels like to _live_... and I want to feel that with you."

She crawled onto the bed and lay down on her side next to Terry, head propped up on her elbow. She reached out to him with her other hand, but Terry gently grabbed her wrist.

"Mary, I really like you, too," he said. "I think you are an amazing, beautiful woman, and any man would be damn lucky to have you. That's exactly why I can't do this. I can't let myself get close to you or any other woman, because... I'm cursed."

Mary shrugged out of Terry's grip and leaned in closer, placing her hand against his chest. Terry couldn't help but notice that for a fighter, Mary's hand was surprisingly soft. "Terry, you've had a string of bad luck. That doesn't mean you're cursed. I don't believe in curses. And even if I did, I would need to believe they can be broken." Her green eyes took on a look that was almost pleading. "Please... just let me have this night. I'll only go as far as you want."

 _God, she's incredible,_ Terry thought. His voice of reason might have said something, then, but Terry didn't hear it. Instead he put his hand over Mary's, lightly caressing her fingers, then leaned back against the bed's headboard. He felt Mary curl up alongside him, felt the warmth of her body, her breasts pushing against him through the lacy fabric of her bra.

For a long time, they just lay there. Then Mary heard Terry say her name. She looked up, and saw him gazing down at her. "I think I'm falling for you, too," Terry told her, then leaned in and kissed her again, more firmly this time.

Mary climbed on top of him, and returned the kiss, her lips working against Terry's with a hunger that had been denied for too long. Both her hands were on his chest now, fingertips lightly caressing his firm pecs. Terry's own need completely overrode any other doubts screaming for his attention. He found that he didn't want to stop kissing her, didn't want to stop his arms from snaking around her back, didn't want to stop his fingers from moving towards the fastener on her bra...

* * *

Mai stood by the railing on the outdoor patio adjacent to the bar of their hotel, sipping her second glass of wine and enjoying the sunset. Or trying to enjoy it, anyway. Behind her, she could hear the groans of pain from the latest man who'd come over to hit on her.

Mai cast a brief glance over her shoulder, saw the man slinking off between the tables, doubled over and clutching his groin. Mai smirked and slipped her fan back down into her cleavage, then turned and resumed watching the bright band of red out over the water as the sun slipped lower.

"Excuse me," she then heard a familiar voice say. She turned her head again and saw Andy Bogard making his way through the patio tables with what appeared to be a rocks glass in his hand, containing three ice cubes and a measure of dark amber liquid. A double, by the looks of it. Their eyes met across the patio, and Mai gave him a polite nod, then turned back towards the sunset.

It was not long before she heard Andy shuffle up to her side, though she did not turn to look at him. "Hey, Mai," he heard her say. "Do... do you mind if I join you?"

Mai shrugged, not taking her eyes off the water. "It's a free country," she said.

Andy took up a position next to her, took a small sip from the glass in his hand before setting it down on the flat marble railing. For a moment, he found himself lost for words, as he usually was when he first saw Mai. This evening, she was wearing a strapless little black dress and red jacket. _She looks beautiful, as always_ , he thought. _So beautiful._ But now, he felt as if he were looking at her with new eyes, eyes that could see her total beauty, inside as well as out.

Ordinarily, Mai found his appreciative looks flattering. But since she was still mad at him, she folded her arms in front of her chest, preventing him from staring at her cleavage, and then gestured at his drink. "I didn't know they served apple juice at this bar," she said, with more ice in her voice than she meant to.

"Oh, um..." Andy picked up his glass and studied it a moment. "I think it's... um... actually a single malt? I'm not sure. I don't have much experience ordering drinks from bars. I told the bartender that and asked them to pour me whatever they thought I might like."

Mai had to bite her lip to stop from smiling. _Even when I'm mad at him, he still manages to be adorable._ "Andy, you should never tell a bartender that. I'm sure he poured you a glass of the 40-year-old, which costs a lot more than the regular."

He scrutinized the glass again. "Well, I guess that explains why it was so expensive. But, like I said, I'm not used to drinking in bars. It's been a long time."

Mai raised an eyebrow. "When did _you_ ever go a bar?"

"Remember when I was fourteen?" Andy explained. "Master Hanzo starting sending me away to train at the Yamada dojo over the summers. The summer I turned sixteen, I went out with Master Jubei to a local bar he frequented in Hida and wound up joining him in one of his very long sake toasts. The last thing I remember about that night was Jubei-sensei reading off the name of every fallen member of his old platoon in the Imperial Japanese Army, and us having to take a sake shot after each name was called. When I woke up the next morning, I swore I'd never drink again."

Mai rolled her eyes. "You know, I've known Master Jubei my whole life, and I could never figure out why he and grandfather were such dear friends."

"Opposites attract?" Andy suggested.

"I guess so," Mai said dryly, then fell silent again and continued to look at the setting sun, creating a palpable tension that seemed to hang in the air between them. Andy picked his glass up and took a large sip, lowering the amount of liquid in it considerably. "That's the good stuff you're drinking, Andy," Mai told him, once again avoiding eye contact. "You may want to slow down and savor it."

"Well," said Andy. "The real reason I needed a drink tonight is because I need a little confidence." He turned to look at her, placed his hand on her shoulder. "Mai, I... have some things I need to tell you. Important things."

Mai finally turned to face him. There was a sense of urgency in his blue eyes, like there really was something he needed to say. "Okay, Andy," she said with a nod. "I'm listening."

"Well, first... I owe you an apology for lying to you. I wasn't... trying to hurt you, I was trying to do the opposite, but that doesn't change the fact that I did hurt you. I'm sorry, Mai."

"That's a good start, Andy," she said. "I accept your apology, but I'm still really mad at you about the way you've been acting. Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Andy sipped his drink again. "Yes. The second thing I wanted to say is, thank you for saving me from Billy earlier today."

Mai shrugged. "Don't mention it. How many times have you saved me?"

Andy's brow furrowed, for a moment looking like he was losing his train of thought. "Just Germany, I think. And those assassins that came to the dojo. You handled most of them on your own, though..."

"Andy, shut up. That was rhetorical." Andy fell silent, but Mai could still see his lips working, as if he were trying to find the right words to something. _He really must have something important to say. I've never seen him this nervous, in all the years we've known each other._ Mai reached over and took his hand in hers. "Andy, it's okay. You can tell me what's bothering you. Like I said in the hotel in Germany, you can tell me anything. I've always meant that."

Andy nodded. "Okay. Um, anyway, I know that... things were good between us when we first got back to Japan after the Dead Sea Incident. Seeing Terry lose the woman he loved for a second time made me realize that I should stop taking you for granted, and try to act more like a boyfriend."

Mai flinched for a moment. She had never met Lily, but Mai did remember Sulia. Though they hadn't know her very long, the gentle, golden-eyed girl had still managed to touch each of them in some way. For Mai, it had been finally having a friend that she could actually have real "girl talk" about the Bogards with, something she could never do with any of her girlfriends in Japan. Of course, she knew that paled in comparison to what Sulia had meant to Terry.

Andy took another sip of scotch, and continued. "It was easy when we first got back, because... we didn't find ourselves in any real danger. We lived, we worked, we practiced together. Sometimes, we went on dates, took walks through the forest, watched the stars. It felt like normal life. Then my past caught up to me, and you were attacked by those thugs shortly after your grandfather's burial, and I realized that I'd forgotten just how dangerous our lives could be.

"We've spent most of our lives studying the fighting arts. It's what we both know best. But when you live a life like that, it's... a good bet that you're always going to have enemies. No matter how much we might try to avoid it, it seems like we'll always find ourselves involved in situations like this. It made me think back again to when Terry lost Lily and Sulia, and I started to think about how I would feel if I ever lost you.

"That's why I've been acting the way that I have been ever since the night of your attack. Being back in South Town, with Geese Howard back from the dead... it reminded me of what Geese did to my father, and to Lily. You've never met Geese, so you have no idea how little the lives of others mean to him."

"Andy," Mai said softly. "You've never told me how Lily died. I only know that Geese killed her. I always felt like there was another reason it upset you so much, not just because your brother lost the woman he loved. Why, Andy? Why don't you ever talk about it?"

Andy looked away from her, then, out towards the sunset on the horizon. He took another sip from his drink and then blew a sharp breath out, but other than that, he did not respond. A minute went by, still he said nothing.

So Mai asked him again, a little less softly this time. "Please, Andy... I'm involved in this now, just as much as you and the others. I think I have a right to know the whole story. A right to know the type of man we're dealing with."

Andy continued to look out over the water, his blue eyes a sea of turmoil. Several more minutes went by, the sun sank lower, and still he did not speak. Finally, Mai blew out an exasperated breath and reached for her wineglass. "Fine, Andy," she huffed. "I'm going inside. Come find me when you're ready to start acting like you actually care about..."

"She was helping me, Terry, and Joe escape from Geese and his men," Andy said suddenly, not looking at Mai, but keeping his gaze fixed out over the gulf. "The three of us fought in the King of Fighters tournament that year. It was towards the final rounds. Most of the other fighters had been eliminated. Terry and I were in the ring together. We didn't realize that Geese had set a trap: he was planning on having one of his men shoot Terry before our match ended. Joe spotted the sniper just in time, though, and took the bullet meant for my brother in the shoulder.

"We had to get Joe out of there, and to a hospital. Lily helped us escape. She killed the lights in the stadium, guided us past the armed guards, and to an escape route that she had secured for us: a rope ladder leading out of a window in the tournament stadium, and down the side of the building to the ground. She stayed behind, refusing to leave until the rest of us were safely outside.

"Before she could follow us out, though, Geese got to her first. He pushed her out that window with one of his attacks, she fell, and then she died in Terry's arms. I'll never forget what Geese did after that. He laughed at us from where he stood, _laughed_ at us... and told Terry he could keep her body if he wanted. Now, this has always been just a feeling I had, but I think that the main reason Geese killed her was not because Lily betrayed him. The main reason he killed her... was because he knew how much her death would hurt Terry. That's the type of man we're dealing with, Mai."

Mai saw that Andy's eyes were starting to shine in the fading light of the setting sun. "Oh, Andy." She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head against his chest. "I... I really appreciate you sharing that with me. I know it was painful."

Andy put one arm around her waist and used his other hand to stroke Mai's ponytail. After a few minutes, he spoke again: "It's okay, Mai. You do have a right to know. That night has been on my mind a lot lately, because Geese knows that you and I are together. In fact, I've been having a recurring dream over the last few weeks about Lily's death, except in the dream, it's not her that falls out the window, it's you."

"You were having that dream in the dojo, the night that your shouting woke me up, weren't you?" Mai pointed out.

Andy nodded. "Yes. I thought that in order to cope with it, I needed to act like my old self again, shut you back out and keep you from getting in. Geese has already taken so much from both me and Terry... our father, our first martial arts teacher, who was like a grandfather to us, the woman Terry loved. I've been shutting you out lately, because... I was afraid... afraid that Geese is going to take you, too. And I was prepared to do anything to stop that from happening. You're... very special to me, Mai. If Geese ever did anything to you, like what he did to Lily... I've never been as strong as Terry, not just in terms of fighting skill. If Geese killed you, it... would probably destroy me completely. "

"Andy," Mai said, her head still resting against him. "I know that you've always feared for me. That time you were in the hospital, after fighting Terry. I remember what you told me then."

"You do?" Andy asked. "I only remember bits and pieces of that."

Mai giggled just a little. "Because you were drugged, silly. But anyway, you said you'd always been attracted to me, even when we were growing up, but one of the reasons you tried to avoid getting to know me was because you didn't want to let me get too close, in case something should happen to you in your mission. You thought that you had no right to break my heart if you got killed trying to avenge your father."

"That's true," said Andy.

Mai raised her head then, gazed into his eyes. "Andy, it's natural to worry about the people that you care for. You worry _because_ you care. But a relationship also takes respect. If you respect me, you'll let me make my own decisions about what I want. And what I want is you, and that includes everything that comes with you, even your past with Geese Howard. Yes, I'm a hopeless romantic, and I know that sometimes I can act like a love-struck fool, but I am still my own woman, Andy. You should know me well enough at this point to know that I'm more than capable of making my own choices, and I _choose_ to fight alongside you. Your enemy is my enemy. My choice, no regrets. But you should know that I don't plan on ever getting myself killed, because I love you too damn much."

A tear slid down Mai's cheek. Andy gently brushed it away with one finger. "Mai, it looks like there's a lot I need to be sorry for," he said. "If I ever... ever gave you the impression that I don't respect you, you know that isn't..."

Mai silenced him by placing her finger on his lips. "You were scared, Andy. People panic and do dumb things when they're scared. But you're admitting that now, which is important. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry, too. For breaking my own promise yesterday, and for being so cold with you since we got here. I know I said I wasn't going to use trickery on you, anymore."

Andy took her hand in his, and gently rubbed her knuckles. "I don't blame you. I'm sure I've really been frustrating you. You felt like you didn't have any other choice." He kissed her hand, and then for a long while, the two of them held each other and looked out over the water as the sky grew darker. Finally, Andy asked her: "Mai, have you ever been afraid that something might happen to me?"

She nodded. "When you first left for America, I was. We never heard from you, and for a few months, it was eating me up inside, not knowing if you were alive or dead. Then Ojisama suggested that I listen to my heart, and my heart told me that you could take care of yourself. So after that, I stopped worrying. And I haven't worried since then."

Andy turned to face her again. "That's exactly what I learned today," he said. "When I saw you fighting in the mansion earlier, I realized that you can take care of yourself, too. I should have known that all along, I mean, we both studied the same arts. Mai, I've been such an idiot. I thought that in order to be a stronger fighter and get through this, I needed to shut out the people who matter, just like last time. But I'm not stronger without you. I'm stronger with you at my side. Like you once said, Mai, you and I are a team, and so I want to let you in completely. My fear of losing you was the only thing stopping me from doing that, but I don't want to be afraid anymore. I don't ever want to shut you out again, because..."

Mai's breath caught in her throat. Another solitary tear ran down her cheek. "Yes, Andy?" She managed to ask.

"Because... because..." Summoning all his nerve, Andy grabbed his drink, gulped the rest of it, and slammed the empty glass down on the railing. "Because I... I... love you, Mai."

Suddenly, Mai felt as if she were light enough to fly. "Oh, Andy," she whispered breathlessly. "You..."

"Yes, Mai. I love you," Andy repeated more firmly, as he gazed into her large brown eyes. He cupped her chin gently in his fingers, raising her head slightly, then pressed his lips to hers. Mai eagerly returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around his back and pulling him close. To Mai, it felt like their first kiss by the pool in Jerusalem all over again, only a hundred-thousand times more passionate, because Andy had finally said the words she'd been longing to hear. For a few brief moments, the world around them faded away, leaving only the two of them and the heady feeling of their mouths dancing.

Andy felt a warmth settle over his body as he kissed the voluptuous ninja girl, but he couldn't tell if it was the scotch he'd just drank, or the intoxicating wine of her luscious red lips. He pulled her closer and it felt as if their bodies and souls were melting together.

Unfortunately, the moment didn't last as long as either one of them had wanted it to. The sound of the other bar patrons on the patio yelling at them to get a room brought their feet back down to the ground.

Reluctantly, Mai broke the kiss and turned to face the person sitting closest to them. "Excuse me!" She shouted, her face going red. "My boyfriend and I are having a _huge_ breakthrough, here! You have _no idea_ how rare this is for him, so _stop ruining the mood_!"

She started to reach into her dress for her fan, but then felt Andy's firm hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Mai. They're right." He leaned in close, then, and whispered in her ear. "I think we should continue this somewhere more private. Don't you?"

Mai turned back to face Andy, and saw him close one of his blue eyes in a wink. Her jaw dropped open. "Andy... are... are you saying... what I think you're...?"

He smiled warmly at her. "Yes, Mai. I'm ready."

"You... you're sure?"

"I am. I want this. If... you still want it, I mean."

Her heart began to beat faster. "Are you kidding? Like you even have to ask!" Mai gulped the last of her wine, and slammed her own empty glass down next to Andy's. "Okay, Andy, lead the way!"

After they made their way back inside, Andy dropped some money on the bar, then started towards the elevators with the beautiful kunoichi wrapped around his arm.

* * *

In a dimly-lit corner of the bar, a dark-haired man in sunglasses, dressed in a button-down white shirt and gray sport jacket sat at a table, swirling the wine in his glass as he watched Andy and Mai move across the lobby to the elevators, the two of them oblivious to everything but each other. After a moment, he leaned down and whispered into a small microphone hidden in the collar of his shirt: "The lovebirds are on their way up, sir. Looks like everyone is tucked in for the night."

Geese Howard's voice spoke through the earpiece hidden in the man's right ear: "You checked the guest registry as I instructed?"

"Yes, sir," he whispered into the mike. "As you surmised, they all booked rooms close to one another, on the same floor that the hotel reserved for combatants fighting in the tournament."

"Hmmm..." The voice in the earpiece thought for a moment. "We'll have to forego the direct approach, then. Too many fighters in one place... too many random elements we can't control. And at this time, we're still deciphering the scrolls. Well, keep watching, Mr. Hopper, and if you think you see an opportunity, let me know immediately."

"Understood, sir." Hopper switched off the mike, then sat back in the chair and took a sip of wine, keeping his eyes on the elevator.

To be continued...

ADDITIONAL NOTE: Andy's memory of Lily's death is based off the subbed version of "Legend of the Hungry Wolf," because honestly, what Geese says to Terry in the subbed version is so much more bad-ass than what he says in the English dub.


	12. Chapter 11

**Fatal Fury: The Vengeful Spirits**

by

RobertCop3

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games or the anime.

* * *

 _Chapter Eleven: The Morning After_

Andy Bogard reached the bottom of the ladder. Terry Bogard passed Joe's wounded body to his brother, then turned and stared apprehensively up at the window the three of them had just climbed down from.

"Hurry, Lily!" He shouted. "Climb down! Lily!" A moment later, there was the burst of blue light from a chi-based attack, the shatter of glass as the body flew outwards, passed horizontally over Terry's head, hung in the air for a second... but it was all wrong. The woman's hair was blond, and she was dressed in a familiar-looking green jacket, blue jeans, and boots.

 _Mary,_ he realized. _No! Not again! Please, God, not again!_

Mary Ryan's body hung in midair for only a second before plummeting straight down, and although Terry raced towards her as fast as he could, he was too late to stop her from striking the pavement headfirst.

Tears were already brimming in Terry Bogard's eyes as he crouched down beside her and gently took Mary's broken body in his arms. "Mary..." He whispered. "This is all my fault."

Mary turned to face him, gave him a weak smirk. "I don't... blame you, Terry," she said softly, her green eyes already clouding over. "I... was the one who said... that I... didn't believe in curses. Guess I... should have, huh?"

The tears were starting to overflow from his blue eyes. "No," Terry said. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have let you get close."

Mary coughed, bringing up a trickle of blood that ran down her chin and dripped onto the collar of her jacket. "I wanted... to get close. Because you... made me happy. You... can't help it if you're... that irresistible." She reached up, caressed his tear-stained cheek. "Thank you... for making me... feel something again, Terry. Goodbye..." Her arm slipped to the ground, her body shuddered, and then she was still, her green eyes gazing sightlessly upward.

Tears continued to run down Terry Bogard's face as he closed Mary's eyes. "I'm so sorry, Mary," he sobbed. "This is all my fault."

"Keep her body if you'd like, Terry!" Shouted a familiar voice from the window. Terry turned his gaze and saw Geese Howard standing there, grinning maliciously, the scar over his eye making him appear almost ghoulish. "You seem to be collecting them, these days!"

Instantly, Terry's tears were gone, replaced by white-hot rage. He channeled as much chi as he could, readying a Power Geyser that he hoped would level the entire side of the building, and take Geese Howard with it...

"Terry..." He heard a familiar voice behind him. He turned and saw the spirit of Lily McGuire, her lithe body radiating that ethereal blue glow. "Geese Howard didn't kill her. You did."

Terry's fists relaxed, his mouth fell open. "What...?"

"You knew you were cursed," Lily continued. "And you still let her get close. You should have known better by now."

Terry Bogard sank to his knees, suddenly having trouble looking Lily in the eyes. Not that he wanted to. Her eyes shone with something that wasn't love, as they usually did when she visited him. No, now their light seemed to come from something much darker.

"Once again, you failed," said another familiar voice. Terry raised his head and saw the glowing apparition of Sulia Gaudeamus standing next to Lily. Sulia's golden eyes, normally so gentle, now had the same wicked gleam as Lily's eyes, which definitely did not become her. "Just like you failed to keep your promise to me. You can't protect anyone, Terry. Not even from yourself. You're not a wolf. You're nothing but a dog!"

Terry was weeping now, his face buried in his hands. A few moments later, he felt a sting on his cheek. Somehow, the spirit of Lily had slapped him. He stared up at her, hurt more by the fact it was Lily who had done this rather than by the blow itself "You killed her, Terry!" Lily snapped at him. "Just like you killed us. When you get close to someone, all they do is die."

Sulia's spirit nodded in agreement. "It's a pity you don't die yourself, and spare the rest of us!" Her spirit stepped forward and slapped Terry's other cheek. It wasn't a very hard blow, but Terry still found himself sprawling onto his side. He made no move to get up. There was no point. Instead, he simply lay there, the tears pouring from his eyes.

"Lily, Sulia, Mary..." He sobbed. "I'm so sorry..."

* * *

Terry Bogard awoke with a start, and sat up slightly on the bed. Next to him, he heard Mary breathing softly, still asleep. Still alive.

 _At least for now_ , he thought, remembering the dream that had jolted him awake, how real it felt. Small beads of sweat had broken out all over his body. Terry got up from the bed and moved to the bathroom. He ran the cold tap on the sink and splashed some water on his face.

"Why did you do it?" He whispered to his reflection in the mirror hanging over the sink. "Why didn't you just kick her out last night?" The answer was on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't say it out loud: he hadn't wanted to hurt her. Mary had willingly come to him with her defenses lowered, and despite his efforts not to, Terry cared about her. Cared about her enough to give her what she wanted.

"But that's the problem," he softly berated himself. "If you really did care, you wouldn't have let yourself fall for her. Now you're probably going to lose her, and this time, it's entirely your fault."

Terry slapped his cheek, then threw another handful of frigid water onto his face and dried himself off with a small towel. He didn't want to think about that now. Right now, what he wanted was to get back in bed.

He left the bathroom, slipped back under the covers, and felt Mary roll over next to him, curling up against his chest. She noticed his skin was still slightly damp from his ablutions a minute ago. "You okay, Terry?" She murmured softly.

"Fine," said Terry. "I just had a bad dream, that's all."

She gazed up at him, then, with her green eyes. _God, they're like emeralds_ , Terry thought as he gazed back.

"Want to talk about it?" Mary asked.

Terry shook his head. "I don't remember that much. I was fighting Geese Howard, and... that was pretty much it."

Mary gave him a scrutinizing look, then, one that was also filled with concern. "Terry, it doesn't matter how strong he's gotten. We'll find a way to beat him. You've done it before, you'll do it again. I'm surprised you'd have a nightmare about that."

"It's not what he might do to me," said Terry. "I don't care much about myself, I haven't since I lost Sulia. It's... what he might do to the people who are still in my life."

Mary propped herself up on her elbow, reached over and gently stroked his cheek. "We're all here because we choose to be. I have my own reasons for going after him, remember? I'm a cop, I know the risks, and I accept them. My choice, Terry."

 _Do you really know the risks?_ He thought. _You've never met Geese. You've never actually seen what he can do._ He chose not to say this out loud because of the determination in her voice, her eyes. Those beautiful eyes that could be so hard, yet so warm all at once...

Terry put his arm around her and kissed her forehead. "You're right," he said. But he still found himself thinking about the dream. After several minutes went by, those thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

* * *

Joe Higashi glanced at his wristwatch as he stood outside of Terry Bogard's hotel room. He could have sworn that this was the time Terry had given him to meet up for breakfast. He was about to knock again when he heard Terry's voice on the other side of the door: "Who is it?"

"It's me," called Joe.

"Just a sec," came Terry's voice again, followed by the sound of some rustling.

A few moments later, the door opened, and Joe nearly did a double take. Instead of his friend, he saw Mary Ryan standing there, wearing one of Terry's T-shirts, and nothing else. Terry was about six inches taller than her, so the shirt kept her decently covered, but still... the shock on Joe's face was evident. "What's up?" Mary asked the kickboxer, looking slightly annoyed.

Joe's mouth hung open, even wider than his eyes. "Mary," he finally managed to say. "Um... what are you..."

"...doing?" The blond woman finished for him. "Standing here waiting for an answer to my question. What's up? Are you here to put mints on our pillows or something?"

"Well, um..."

"Come on, Higashi, spit it out!"

Terry then appeared behind Mary, dressed in his jeans, and Joe had never been happier to see him. "Hey, Terry," he said, moving his eyes from the detective to the elder Bogard. "I... just thought I'd check to see if you were ready for breakfast."

Terry smirked at him. "Thanks, Joe, but you go on ahead," he said. "We'll meet you down there in about fifteen minutes. Feel free to start without us."

Joe managed a nod. "Right," he said, and then Mary shut the door in his face. Joe stood there for another moment, his brain trying to process what he had just seen. As he finally turned and walked to the elevator, he was still trying to process it. By the time he had pressed the DOWN button on the wall, his brain was finished processing, and the kickboxer laughed aloud.

He looked back down the hall towards Terry's room, and shook his head, still laughing. A moment later, the elevator door opened with a pinging sound. "Way to go, Terry!" Joe said out loud as he stepped onto the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby.

* * *

After Joe had left, there was a brief moment as Terry Bogard and Mary Ryan stood in the middle of the room with their arms around each other. Mary rested her head against Terry's chest, and asked him: "Terry... what happens now?"

Terry thought for a moment. "Now," he answered. "We find Geese Howard. And we finish him. And we make sure we do the job right this time."

Mary looked up at him, then, her brow furrowed. "No, I mean, what happens to us? I really needed last night, emotionally more than physically. You helped me realize that I'm still capable of having feelings for someone, that I still _want_ to have them. You helped my heart begin to heal, not completely, but a small step in the right direction, and I'm grateful for that. I really do like you, Terry. So where do we go from here?"

 _Why does she have to be so wonderful?_ Terry thought. Then he said, "Mary, I like you, too. So please don't take it the wrong way when I say that I honestly don't know. And I can't really think about it until after our scores with Geese have been settled."

Mary stood up on her tiptoes, and kissed him slowly, deeply. After breaking the kiss, she regarded him for another moment. "I guess that will have to do, for now." She took a step back from him and stripped out of his shirt. "Do you mind if I use your shower?"

Terry shook his head. "No, go ahead."

Mary walked to the bathroom and shut the door behind her. After she was gone, Terry made his way over to the window, opened the curtain, and watched the sun rise over South Town. He tried to think about what needed to be done today, but the dream still tugged at the edges of his mind.

* * *

The first rays of the morning sun began to slant through the cracks of the curtains, casting yellow lines across the floor in the dimness of the hotel room. Mai Shiranui opened her eyes and checked her surroundings. To her great relief, she still felt Andy's warm body spooned up against her own, felt his arm wrapped around her waist, his hand cupping her breast, felt his head resting in the soft pillow of her hair, felt his breath on her neck.

She had been afraid to wake up at first, fearing that last night had just been another one of her erotic dreams. But it wasn't, it had finally happened. And it had been everything she'd hoped it would be, and more. _So much more,_ she thought. _I wish I could lay here forever like this, next to him. Unfortunately, I've REALLY_ _gotta pee._

Slowly, she got up from the bed wearing nothing except a satisfied smile, and made her way towards the bathroom. After she was finished, she came back out to find Andy awake, propped up on his pillow.

Andy smiled when he saw her. He'd gotten glimpses of Mai's body before, when she'd practiced her quick-change technique at the dojo, and also because her kunoichi uniform had a tendency to malfunction quite a bit. But seeing her standing there now, in her completely natural form without a single stitch of clothing to distract the eye... took his breath away. Mai noticed the look she was giving him and giggled. Her laughter sounded like music in Andy's ears.

"Good morning," Andy Bogard said, his smile growing wider. Mai eagerly bounced back towards the bed, slipped under the covers and snuggled up in his embrace. Andy held her close, and breathed in the perfume of her hair.

"Did you sleep okay?" He heard Mai ask him.

"I did," said Andy. "I dreamed about you again, but it was a good dream this time. How about you?"

"After that workout you gave me, I slept like a log," Mai said, her head resting against his muscular chest. "Andy, that was amazing. I always figured you had to have stamina, but holy shit, Andy... _five_ times in one night? How did you do that?"

She felt him shrug his shoulders. "Hey, do you tell me how you change clothes in a split second? Or where you hide all those fans? You have your secrets. I have mine."

Mai giggled. "Fair enough."

"I just hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, Mai."

She turned to look up at him, then. "What? For the way you've been acting lately?" She laughed and started to stroke his cheek. "Andy, you big dummy, after last night, I think it's obvious that I forgive you for that."

"I wasn't talking about that," said Andy. "Do you remember when we spent the night at that hotel in Baghdad?"

"Yes," she said. How could she ever forget that night? The two of them had been forced to share a room with one bed, as it was the only vacancy in the hotel. Mai had just emerged from her shower, her long, dark red hair still damp, wearing nothing but a loose-fitting robe with a neckline as plunging as that of her fighting outfit. She had more or less given Andy an open invitation to climb into the bed with her, spelling it out so blatantly even he could grasp the meaning, and he had chosen to exercise instead.

"Then I don't need to remind you what an idiot I was," said Andy. "Mai, I'm sorry I was so stupid."

Mai laughed aloud, which made Andy laugh too. "Andy, you're so adorable," she said. "You don't ever have to apologize for the way that you were when we first started dating, because you have nothing to be sorry for."

Andy stopped laughing, then. "Really?" He asked.

Mai nodded, her fingers gently caressing the nape of his neck. "Yes, Andy. I mean that. I've always enjoyed just being with you. Just having you there. I knew that you liked me, even though you were still learning how to show it. Although there was a time when you didn't touch or kiss me, you still made me feel special, because you always stood by me, and you've never looked at any other woman the way you look at me. If I could go back and do our relationship all over again, I wouldn't change a thing."

Andy smiled as he stroked Mai's hair. "Not even China?" He asked her.

Mai giggled again."Well, okay, maybe China, but that's it," she replied, and then kissed him tenderly on the lips. After she came up for air, she moved on top of him and straddled his waist with her long legs, her breasts and hips pressing against him. "Also, the way I see it," she told him. "We're luckier than most couples. You know why?"

"Why?"

"Because," Mai said with a wicked grin. "We now have a _lot_ of catching up to do." She pressed herself more firmly against him then, began gently kissing his face and neck.

"While I definitely agree with you, Mai," said Andy. "Perhaps we should wait until tonight. Terry and Joe are probably already downstairs waiting for us."

She giggled at him, then playfully smacked one of his pecs. "Fine. I'm gonna go shower." Reluctantly, she pulled herself away from her lover, and made her way back towards the bathroom. She paused in the doorway, hands resting seductively on her hips, and flashed Andy a wink. "Care to join me?" Then, without waiting for an answer, she disappeared inside the bathroom and started the water. Andy quickly got up from the bed and went into the bathroom as well, shutting the door behind him.

The two of them stepped under the warm spray of the showerhead, and Andy picked up the soap from its sconce in the wall. "Mai," Andy said as he got behind his girlfriend and started lathering her back for her. "I've told you about Lily, but it's not the whole story about what happened here three years ago. Before we get downstairs, I want to tell you everything else."

Mai turned to face him, slid her arms around his waist, and softly nuzzled his chest. "Andy," she said, smiling from ear to ear. "We haven't even had breakfast yet, and already you made my day. Go on. I want to hear all about it."

* * *

Mary shook her head as she glanced from the cantaloupe, toast and bacon on her plate to the food that was piled high on Joe and Terry's plates. "I'll never get tired of seeing this," she said.

"Hey, the buffet is complimentary," said Joe, who was working through his scrambled eggs to get at the short stack that he had buried underneath them. "Might as well take advantage of it. I'm sure Terry probably told you that malarkey about how chi burns calories. Truth is, he just likes to eat as much as I do."

"Because eating was a luxury before I was adopted and then after my dad was killed," Terry clarified.

Though her expression was neutral, Mary rolled her eyes in amusement. "I need to go find a phone," she said. "Try not to kill each other while I'm gone." She got up from the table and made her way towards the front desk.

After she was gone, Terry and Joe spent a few moments eating silently. Then Joe said, "Mary is a pretty nice girl, once you get to know her. Bit rough around the edges, but..."

Terry nodded, drank his coffee. "Yeah," was all he said.

"I gotta admit, I didn't expect to see her in your room this morning," Joe went on. "So... what are you two right now? Dating? Friends with benefits?"

"Mary and I helped each other last night," Terry said simply. "Beyond that, I'm not sure what we are."

"Okay, man," Joe said. "I'm just asking because you're my friend. I mean, I've never dated any girl longer than a month, but I still understand what Sulia meant to you. Hell, she was special to each of us, in some way. I can't pretend to know what you've gone through, but I can say that I don't want to see you get hurt."

Terry reached over, clapped him on the shoulder. "I understand, Joe," he said. "Thanks. I do like Mary, but I can't think about what we are right now."

Joe said nothing. He simply nodded, and resumed eating his eggs, having almost cleared a path to the pancakes. A few minutes later, Mary returned and took her seat back.

"What's up?" Terry asked her.

"Nothing good, I'm afraid," Mary said around a mouthful of bacon. "I spoke to someone inside the 37th who owes me a favor. They said that Inspector Bowers, my boss, is gonna be running security at the tournament."

"This is the guy who might be in Geese Howard's pocket?" Asked Joe.

Mary nodded. "Which is why I'm definitely going to be there as a spectator. I'll keep my eyes and ears open, and pass along any info I think you might be able to use." She started working on the rest of her cantaloupe, then. "You'll need it. Especially since Billy Kane is still competing."

Terry scowled. "I thought we left him unconscious in Hughes's study," he pointed out.

Mary shook her head. "He was gone when I got there. Guess he woke up and rabbited before the cavalry arrived. According to my guy on the inside, so far, the thugs who _were_ taken into custody yesterday haven't talked."

"And knowing the type of men Geese employs, they'll never talk, not if they value their lives," said Terry. "Anything else?"

"Yes," said Mary. "I also reached out to my informant. I think he might have something for me. He wants to meet me in an hour. So I'd better get going." She swallowed the last bite of her melon, and rose from her seat.

Terry nodded. "Be careful, okay?"

Mary fished her sunglasses out of her jacket pocket, and slipped them on. "I'm always careful," she said. "You worry about your own ass. I'll meet up with you at the tournament. Catch you later, handsome." She kissed Terry on the cheek, then made her way through the tables towards the exit.

Terry's eyes lingered on her as she left, watching as her hips swayed from side to side in her loose-fitting jeans. Then he heard Joe whistle appreciatively, ruining the mood.

Angrily, Terry turned back around and punched Joe on the arm. "Are you _ever_ gonna grow up?"

Joe winced, and then took a sip of coffee. "Probably not. Are you ever gonna share what the game plan is?"

"Yeah, as soon as the rest of the group is down here. I hate having to repeat myself. And speak of the devil."

Joe turned to follow Terry's gaze, and saw Mai and Andy making their way over to the table. "Um... Terry," Joe asked his friend. "Are they actually...?"

Terry slapped himself so hard his cap almost flew off. Then he blinked several times, looked at his brother and Mai again, and saw that his eyes did not deceive him. "Yeah," he said to Joe. "They are definitely holding hands." And it wasn't only that, but it looked to Terry like the two of them were actually exuding some sort of... glow.

When they got to the table, Andy pulled out Mai's chair for her, and she giggled as she took her seat. "Morning, boys," she said with a nod to Joe and Terry, who were both too stunned to respond.

"Anything look good?" Andy asked her.

"Well, it's probably too much to hope that this buffet has rice cake soup," answered Mai. "So I'll settle for French Toast and sausage."

"Sure!" Andy kissed her on the cheek, and then started towards the buffet.

Terry and Joe looked at each other, neither one of them wanting to breach the subject. Mai seemed oblivious to them as she flagged down a waiter, and got him to fill hers and Andy's mugs with steaming coffee. Finally, as Mai was adding milk to her mug, she noticed them staring. "What, do I have something on my face?" She asked them. "Or have you never seen a ninja drinking coffee before?"

"So, Mai," Terry managed to say. "Did you... um, sleep well?"

"Beautifully," Mai told him. "In the rare moments when I actually slept." She then took a sip of coffee, ignoring the shocked looks on their faces.

"So," Terry continued. "We _are_ talking about Andy, right? Are you saying he actually..."

Mai grinned like a Cheshire Cat and raised her coffee mug in a toast. "A lady never tells," she said.

Terry knew Mai well enough to realize she'd said all she cared to say on the matter. He nodded politely at her, and turned his attention back to the small mountain of eggs and hash browns on his plate. Joe was not as quick.

"You mean Andy finally manned up?" Joe asked her. "Or did you have to slip him a roofie?" A second later, Joe felt a sharp pain in his shin as Mai kicked him under the table.

"I _said_ a lady never tells, you giant ass," Mai hissed at him.

"But, you're not a lady, Mai," Joe said as he rubbed his shin.

"You do know how easily I could have broken your leg just now," Mai huffed. "Keep it up, and I'll break twice as many of your bones as Krauser did."

Joe shook his head. "So, Terry and Mary... and then Mai and Andy... are you telling me that the ladies man of the group is the only one who slept alone last night? How the hell does that happen?"

"Because the girl you picked up wouldn't take a check?" Mai asked him.

"Okay, now I'm convinced you gave Andy a roofie," said Joe. "It's the only logical explanation."

Just then, Andy returned to the table with a plate in each hand. He set the one with a large helping of French Toast and sausage in front of Mai, and then took the seat between her and Joe with his own plate.

"An-deeee," Mai said in that clingy tone she liked to use. "Joe is making fun of us again. Can you kick his ass?"

"Do I gotta, Mai?" Andy responded. Then he smirked at her and added: "I'm pretty sure you don't need my help to do that." The four of them all laughed, and then spent a long while focusing on their food. It was Mai who broke the silence again.

"So, Terry," she said as she dredged one of her sausage links through the syrup left on her plate. "Did Joe say that you and Mary..."

"A gentleman never tells," answered Terry.

"You don't have to," said Mai. "I can see it in your eyes. Terry, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks," Terry said with a small smile. He looked down at what was left on his plate, for a moment lost in thought. Last night had been nice. But, now... did he want it to be more than a one night stand? Mary might not believe in curses, but Terry still did, and a part of him kept saying that if he really cared about her, and he did, it would be best if he never saw Mary again after this whole business with Geese was behind them. But then there was a smaller part of him that still wanted to see her.

Terry shook his head and resumed eating. Mai popped the last bite of sausage in her mouth and got up from the table. "I'm gonna see if they have any eggs left," she said.

"You're still hungry?" Joe asked.

Mai shrugged. "Hey, Andy and I burned a _lot_ of calories last night." She leaned in and kissed Andy on the cheek. "Didn't we, baby?" Then she picked up her empty plate and started off towards the buffet.

After she was gone, Andy turned to Terry. "Terry, we both know Mai has a tendency to oversimplify these things. How are you really?"

Terry shrugged. "Like I told Mary upstairs, I don't know. And I can't think about it while we have unfinished business with Geese."

Andy looked at his brother for a moment, and then simply nodded. For a time, they were silent again as the three of them resumed eating.

Then Joe said: "Okay, Andy. You let me down in Baghdad. This time, I gotta know: how was she?"

"How was she what?" Andy asked as he sipped his coffee, the same response he'd given Joe the last time the kickboxer had asked, except now Andy was not as naive. Terry said nothing, simply watched the exchange between the two of them like it was some rare form of entertainment.

"Come on, Andy!" Joe persisted. "You and I go way back! You're like the brother I never had! Gimme _something_ here, man..."

Andy turned towards him. "She makes a LOT of noise," he said. "And that is all I'm ever going to tell you." With that, he turned back to his breakfast.

Mai returned to the table a few moments later, rolled her eyes when she saw Joe with his nose bleeding. "For God's sake, Joe," she said as she pulled a tissue from the pocket of her shorts and offered it to him. "Can't you even wait until after the tournament has started before hurting yourself?" Both Andy and his brother clapped their hands to their mouths, trying their best to hold back their laughter.

"What? What did I miss?" Mai asked.

"Oh, just... me being clumsy," Joe said, accepting the tissue and dabbing his nose with it.

"So, a typical morning, then," Mai said with a shrug, then sat down and started on her eggs.

Terry had at last regained enough control to take his hand from his mouth. "Well, I'm glad we're all a team again," he said to the rest of the table. "Now, let's get down to business."

* * *

Elsewhere in South Town, in a building that had been recently condemned (but still had water, as the slow bureaucracy of the utility company had not yet gotten around to shutting it off), a shirtless youth with spiky black hair rose from the cot on which he had been sleeping. On a second cot a few feet away, another youth with long brown hair scowled as rays of the morning sun filtered in through cracks in a boarded-up window to shine directly on his face.

"It's too early, Chonrei," the brown-haired teen said with a scowl, speaking in Mandarin.

"No, Chonshu," said the black-haired teen in the same language. "We've slept long enough. The King of Fighters tournament starts today, remember?" He crossed the dilapidated room in which they were sleeping to a large, industrial-sized sink set into the wall, and turned the tap. He waited several seconds while the rust ran out of the faucet, and once the color of the water turned from brown to clear, he splashed some on his face.

The one called Chonshu sat up on his cot, and looked around with dismay at the state of the room they had been forced to take as a temporary lodging. True, he and his brother Chonrei had slept in much worse places, but still, that didn't mean Chonshu had to like it.

"What does it matter?" The brown-haired youth asked. "That thief managed to evade us yesterday. He has all the scrolls, and their cipher key. What's the point of fighting in the tournament now?"

Chonrei turned from the sink and faced his brother with a look of annoyance. "Because Howard can't use the scrolls yet, not until he's deciphered them. The Lone Wolf and his friends will be competing today, and you can bet that they'll continue to make every effort to try and thwart that _xing shi fan_. We continue to follow them, as planned, and eventually, they will lead us to Howard." He went back over to his cot, picked up the blue shirt of his Tang suit, and donned it. "We underestimated him yesterday, we won't make that mistake again."

Chonshu nodded once, then got up from his cot, walked over to the sink that Chonrei had just been using, and turned the tap. "Do you think the spirits within us will be a match for Qin Kong and Qin Wang?" He asked as he threw cold water on his face.

Chonrei took a deep breath, blew it out sharply through his nostrils. "I don't think it matters at this point. We know where we come from, and we know what's at stake. We really have no choice but to see this through to the end. Whatever that end may be..."

To be continued...


	13. Chapter 12

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games, or the anime.

Also, this is directed to Guest, if he's reading: I assume your two word review of Chapter Ten was a positive one. If so, thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed, since I _really_ enjoyed writing that chapter. Oh, by the way, have you thought about opening an account on this thing? That way, I could PM you, and you wouldn't have to wait for me to post new chapters in order to get responses to your reviews. ( ;

As always, feedback is welcome from everyone.

* * *

 _Chapter Twelve: King of Fighters, Part One_

 **South Town Commerce Plaza (formerly known as Geese Tower)**

Billy Kane stood in front of the ornate mahogany desk which sat in the middle of the spacious office. The desk had been graciously left behind as a gift by the previous tenant. On the other side of its wide expanse, Geese Howard sat in the plush leather chair (another "donation" from the former tenant), sipping coffee from a china mug with one hand while his other hand held a phone receiver to his ear.

"You have your instructions," Geese said to the man on the other end of the line. "Make sure everything goes as planned at the tournament today. If it does not, I will hold you personally responsible." He hung up the phone, took another sip of coffee, then moved his gaze to Billy, standing at partial attention on the other side of the desk. "You remember what you're supposed to do?"

"I'd better," said Billy with a nervous laugh. "You know how much I like living."

Geese ignored the humor. Instead, he asked: "Did you encounter those two Chinese boys when you were fleeing Mr. Hughes's property yesterday?"

"No, sir," Billy answered. "But I'll be sure our man at the tournament knows about them."

"Good," said Geese. "Well, you'd better get going. Don't want to be late."

Billy nodded, fished his trademark red bandanna from his back pocket, and quickly tied it over his short blond hair. "Right. I'll call as soon as the deed's done." He shouldered his staff, turned, and left the office.

After he was gone, Geese got up from his desk and moved to the picture window, hands clasped smartly behind his back. He looked out the window at the thin heat haze of summer shimmering over the ground below as the sun rose higher. Today was going to be both clear and hot. "An excellent day for someone to die," Geese mused to himself out loud, a grin slowly spreading across his scarred face.

* * *

 **South Town Pavilion**

The air throughout the stadium was charged with energy and excitement. Even back in the small green room, away from the lights and the crowds, Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Mai Shiranui and Joe Higashi found they had trouble keeping still. The room's walls were painted a peaceful sea green color, the same color as the comfortable couch (that none of them were sitting on) which was one of the only pieces of furniture in the room. But still, the calming effect of the color was lost on the four fighters.

"Did it feel this exciting the first time?" Mai asked the other three as she paced back and forth, twirling a fan in her long fingers.

"Remember, we've got work to do here," said Andy, who was leaning against the wall by the door. "We need to be ready for anything." Then he gave his girlfriend a faint smile. "And yeah, it was a little exciting the first time." After he said those words, Andy's eyes flicked over to his brother, who fidgeted with his cap as he leaned against the opposite wall. Andy realized that he had no idea what Terry was thinking right now, what sort of memories might be dredging up in the elder Bogard's mind from being back here in the stadium. "But still dangerous," Andy added quickly. "At the end of the day, we can't forget that."

"We all remember the plan?" Terry Bogard asked simply, not noticing the look Andy had given him.

Joe, who was standing over by a table containing water bottles, fruit, and a few other concessions, nodded as he tried to peel an orange. "Yeah, we fight when our name is called. The rest of the time, we try to keep an eye on Billy, and also see if we can act on any info Mary might pass along. Seems simple enough. Even Andy's girlfriend can follow those directions."

Joe then glanced over at Mai, wincing slightly as he waited for the retaliatory hit from one of her fans. But the buxom ninja girl continued to pace, as if she'd not heard him. _I_ _don't blame her_ , Joe thought. _I was the same way my first time at one of these tournaments._

A few moments later, a man wearing a polo shirt and a headset opened the door and said that they were about to announce all the combatants. After he was gone, Terry stepped towards the center of the room and held out his right arm, palm of his hand facing the floor. Andy, Mai and Joe quickly took positions around him, forming a circle, and laid their own right hands on top of Terry's.

Terry's gaze swept over the three of them. Then he simply said: "Let's do this!" With that, the four of them broke their huddle and exited the green room.

* * *

The ring was surrounded on all four sides by stadium seating that was packed with the cheering crowds. Some of the spectators had probably placed bets, while others were just street-fighting aficionados who had simply come to watch their heroes. On her way to her seat, Mary Ryan had seen more than a few pre-teen boys dressed as Terry, Andy, or Joe.

The detective had chosen a seat high up towards the back, on a side that she felt gave her the best view of both what was happening down by the ring, and also up in the scaffolding that ran a few hundred feet overhead. She tried to remain focused on her task, but as each contestant was announced, Mary couldn't help but feel her heart begin to beat a little faster.

She still thought this tournament had been a bad idea. But at the same time, everything Terry Bogard had said to her in the diner a few weeks ago was true. Mary did her best to abide by the morals her father and grandfather had tried to instill in her, but deep down, she loved the thrill of the fight. In some ways, it was better than sex. She was a little annoyed that Terry had read this in her personality so easily. But she was also impressed. Everyone on the force knew how guarded Mary was. She grudgingly admired that Terry had managed to do what few people could, and read her the way that he had. _He's not just a pretty face. He's actually got some brains, too._

The announcer said Terry Bogard's name, and Mary pulled the binoculars out of the pocket of her jacket, allowing herself a small indulgence as she raised them to her green eyes, watched the Lone Wolf emerge into the stadium a midst thunderous applause, and take his place alongside the fighters who were lining up on the other side of the interlocked crowd control barriers separating the ring from the stands. Mary's mind flashed briefly to the skills Terry had displayed last night...

Then the announcer moved on to Andy Bogard, and Mary shook her head. _Focus, Ryan,_ she thought. _You have a job to do. Business before pleasure, always._

She moved the gaze of her binoculars across the line of contestants, and Mary tried to recall some of their names. It wasn't necessary for a few of them, as she recognized them by sight alone. Mary spotted Billy Kane, wearing his usual outfit of boots, jeans, sleeveless Union Jack shirt and red bandanna, whispering into the ear of another fighter. The man was dressed in a blue and white dogi, the tunic of which was adorned with a clan crest she did not recognize. He also wore an over-sized Asian rice hat that blocked his face from view, and he appeared to be armed with a praying staff.

Mary frowned at this, and made a mental note of it. Then she turned her gaze upwards, binoculars skimming across the scaffolding overhead. She saw no movement on any of them. Which was not a good sign.

"I thought I suspended you, Ryan," she heard a familiar voice say. She pulled the binoculars from her eyes, and saw Inspector Bowers standing next to her seat.

"You did, captain," she answered him.

"Inspector, remember?" Bowers corrected her.

Mary nodded. "Yeah, that's what I said, captain. So, anyway, now that I have so much free time, I thought I'd come watch the show." She picked up a greasy brown bag that was resting on the seat between her legs, and thrust it up under her boss's nose. "Want some popcorn?" She asked him.

Bowers ignored both the bag, and her jibe. "You've hated the idea of this tournament since day one, Ryan. Why the sudden change of heart?"

Mary shrugged. "Well, I found out that you had decided to take over running security. So maybe I just wanted to see how badly you'll fuck this up." She brought the bag of popcorn back down to her lap, pulled a few kernels from it, and tossed them into her mouth. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm not on duty right now, and I paid for this seat. The first match is about to start. So go do your job, _captain_."

Bowers fixed her with a cold stare, but in the end, he turned on his heel and started back down the steps towards the ring. Mary couldn't hep but smirk a little as she resumed watching the scaffolding with her binoculars. She realized that given her current suspension, it probably wouldn't help her much if she continued to give the inspector attitude. But then she reminded herself that maybe in their mission to stop Geese Howard, Terry and his friends might find some sort of dirt on Bowers that would finally lead to an indictment. She hoped so. That would definitely get her back to work with fewer questions asked.

A few minutes later, the first match was announced, and Mary heard Terry Bogard's name, so the blond detective allowed herself another tiny bit of indulgence by shifting her gaze from the ceiling back down to the ring. Through her binoculars, she saw Terry assume his stance several yards away from a brown-haired, barefoot Korean man dressed in a white gi trimmed with light blue. _Kim Kaphwan, by the looks of it_ , Mary thought. _This should be interesting._

* * *

The tae-kwon-do master smiled as he gazed across the ring at Terry Bogard. "I was hoping we'd be fighting each other today, my friend," Kim said, and took up his stance. "I've been eager to show you what I've learned since our last meeting."

"Likewise," Terry said with a smirk.

For another moment, the two of them stared each other down. Then Kim launched himself into the air in a forward somersault, which Terry had been expecting. What he had not been expecting was for Kim to do a split kick when he got close to Terry, swinging the heel of his left leg like a hammer down towards the elder Bogard's shoulder. Terry barely dodged it in time, sidestepping and then blocking the two jabs that Kim threw towards him.

"You're improvising," Terry remarked. "You usually open with your Hishou Kyaku." Terry then dodged another kick and swung his own body around with arm outstretched, the back of his fist catching Kim in the shoulder.

"One needs to improvise when fighting an opponent whose own style is so varied," Kim fired back, and then quickly launched into a rising somersault kick. Terry skipped backwards, though he still felt a rush of air as Kim's foot sliced past him, missing him by millimeters. Terry then countered with a body blow. Kim caught his arm, dropped quickly to his back and tossed Terry across the ring.

Terry landed on his feet and turned to face his friend. "It's been a while since I've had a fight like this," he said. The palms of his hands then began to glow faintly as he gathered a small amount of chi. "Time to make things interesting."

* * *

Mary watched the ring for another few moments as Terry and Kim went back and forth, trying not to think about how gorgeous Terry looked when he fought. Then she shook her head to clear it, and moved the gaze of her binoculars away from the ring towards the large arched doorway that the combatants had entered through.

A police officer stood on either side of the door, and Mary frowned. She didn't recognize them. She then shifted her gaze to the crowd control barriers separating the spectators from the ring, and saw three more officers. Again, their faces were not familiar.

 _What's your game, Bowers?_ She pondered, mentally blocking out the shouts of the crowd that she heard from all sides as her brain tried to work out the answer. After a few moments, she raised the binoculars towards the ceiling again, and continued to monitor the scaffolding until she heard the announcer say that the match had gone to Terry Bogard.

Mary lowered the binoculars to look down at the ring, and in spite of herself, she actually found that she couldn't keep from clapping along with everyone else.

* * *

For a moment, Kim Kaphwan sat on the ring's canvas, the shirt of his gi ripped, a few wisps of smoke rising from his body. Then he laughed and accepted the hand that Terry offered him.

"We should definitely do this again next year," Kim said as he sprang to his feet and clapped Terry Bogard on the shoulder.

"I'll look forward to that," Terry said as he clapped Kim's shoulder in response. "You should keep learning to improvise, by the way. I gotta be honest, for a minute you had me worried."

* * *

Mary only half paid attention to the next few fights as she continued to survey the stadium with her binoculars. Billy Kane went up against a fighter in red slacks armed with nunchaku, and took him down rather quickly. The man with the praying staff whom Billy had been speaking to was up after that, and also bested his opponent in the span of a few minutes. Joe Higashi fought and defeated one of his kickboxing rivals, after which a teenage boy in a red Tang suit was up, fighting against a heavyset Taiwanese man in a green shirt and white shorts.

Mary's gaze went briefly to Terry, Andy, Joe and Mai, who all seemed to be whispering to one another. Mai looked quizzical for a moment, then Andy said something to her and pointed to a teenage boy standing just outside the ring, dressed in a blue Tang suit, who was watching the match very closely. Mary recalled yesterday's conversation in Terry's hotel room, when the detective had been asked about two boys in Tang suits.

Mary set her binoculars down and decided to watch the match as well. The boy appeared to be fast, not surprising given his size. But there was something otherworldly about his speed. At times, he seemed to move so quickly that he was like a blur. She looked back over at Terry and his friends, who were all looking at the boy with the same interest as Mary.

After that fight was over (naturally, the boy in red won) and Mai had entered the ring for her match, Mary got up from her seat and made her way down the steps towards ringside, stopping just in front of the crowd control barriers. Her green eyes met Terry's gaze and she motioned for him to come over. He, Andy and Joe made their way towards Mary. The three stopped just on the opposite side of the barrier.

"Is that one of the boys you met yesterday at the mansion?" She asked them.

"Yeah," answered Terry. "Announcer said his name was Jin Chonshu. And he didn't look familiar to you?"

"Nope. Like I said, he's never come up in my research. He's pretty fast, though, and it didn't look like his speed was chi-enhanced. There's something else going on."

"We noticed," said Joe. "Also, his name is _Jin_ Chonshu. And he's interested in the Jin Scrolls. Can't be a coincidence. Don't know what his game is, but hopefully he and his buddy in blue are on our side."

"We've got other problems, though," said Mary. "Back when I was still running security, my superiors told me how many men they could spare, but I was still allowed to choose those men. So I personally handpicked every officer for this assignment. But it looks like Bowers has replaced all of them with men that I don't recognize."

Terry, Andy and Joe all exchanged a worried glance, but otherwise said nothing. So Mary went on: "Also, I remember reading about what happened to Joe the last time this tournament was held. Which was why I assigned officers to patrol the scaffolding above the ring. I've been watching it since I got here, and I've seen zero movement up there. No one is patrolling it."

"Not a good sign," said Joe. "I'd like to avoid getting shot this time, if at all possible."

"Much as I would love to see my boss screw up," Mary said to Terry. "I'd rather not see you or your friends get hurt in the process. Which is why I need to get up there and take a look around."

Their conversation was interrupted by cheering from the stands as Mai defeated her opponent. They looked over at the ring and saw her standing there with one hand on her hip, the other arm outstretched and brandishing her fan. "Yeah, Nippon ichi!" She shouted as she winked at the crowd.

Terry, Joe and Andy looked back to Mary, and couldn't help but chuckle at the face that the detective was making. "She just does that," Andy said, but Mary noticed the twinkle in his blue eyes as he watched Mai exit the ring and bounce over to them.

"That was fun!" Mai said as she wrapped her arms around Andy. "So, what are we talking about?"

After the kunoichi had been brought up to speed, Mary said, "There are two stairwells up to the scaffolding. When I got here, I noticed that one of them was under guard, so the other one probably is, too. The only way up is to get past those guards. I could take them down easily in a fight, but then Bowers would definitely nail my ass."

"So, don't fight them," said Mai. "I'll come with you, and provide a distraction, so you can slip past them unnoticed to the stairs."

Mary was unconvinced. "These men are police officers, Mai. I doubt they'll fall for a distraction."

Mai laughed, and puffed out her ample chest. "Mary, honey, I've _trained_ to be a distraction. Besides, if there's one thing I've learned about men, it's that they're all the same. Except for my Andy, of course." Mai batted her eyelashes at her boyfriend, who simply gave a resigned smile and shook his head.

Terry laughed. "Well, it sounds like you ladies have a plan, so I'll leave you to it. We'd better get back, since I think Andy is gonna be up soon. Mary, you be careful."

Mary scowled. "Will you stop saying that, Bogard? I told you, worry about your own ass."

Terry looked at her for a long moment, debating what he should say or do. For a moment, he remembered his dream. Then he just nodded, turned and walked back towards the ring. Joe followed him.

Andy stood there for another moment with his hand on Mai's shoulder. "Don't cause too much trouble," he told his girlfriend.

Mai laughed. "Andy, when two women join forces, you know that's impossible." Then she kissed him, and jumped over the barrier. "Lead the way, Mary!" Andy shook his head again as the two women walked away, then he turned to catch up with Joe and Terry.

* * *

"Making trouble, Ryan?" Mary heard a familiar voice say to her just as she and Mai had reached the door leading out of the stadium area.

She turned to face Inspector Bowers. "No, sir. My friend and I were just going to the ladies room to powder our noses."

"Mm hm," Bowers said with a nod, though the look on his face said he was not convinced. Then he noticed Mai, and his mind flashed back to Mary's report. _Asian female, approximately five foot five, long red-brown hair, severely altered ninja gi._ He cleared his throat and asked Mai: "Young lady, would you be able to tell me where you were yesterday between the hours of noon and five PM? And if anyone can verify your story?"

Mai regarded him for a moment with an odd smile on her face. Then, she shrugged her shoulders and spoke rapidly in Japanese: "Sorry, keisatsukan-san, but I've seen enough of your American cop shows to know that I don't have to talk to you unless I have my attorney present."

The inspector's brow crinkled in confusion. "What did she say?"

"She's Japanese, sir," said Mary. "She said she doesn't speak a word of English."

"Don't you speak Japanese?" Bowers asked Mary.

"Yeah," said Mary. "My grandfather taught me."

"Well, then, can _you_ ask her my question?" Bowers snapped, growing impatient.

Mary nodded. "I could, but technically you're not my boss right now. So I don't have to, and I'm not going to. Don't you have men on this security detail that can translate?"

"I'll need to check around," the inspector growled. Mai, meanwhile, was doing her best to continue to look confused, but it was taking all of her ninja discipline not to laugh.

"Because I at least remembered that this would be an international fighting tournament," said Mary. "So I picked some officers for the detail who could speak more than one language. Too bad you didn't keep any of them around. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have tiny bladders. Good luck keeping us all safe." Mary and Mai then exited the stadium area, leaving Inspector Bowers red in the face.

As soon as they were out in the hallway, away from the inspector, Mai started laughing hysterically, and seemed dismayed when Mary was not joining in. The detective was walking briskly, hands in the pockets of her jacket. After Mai stopped laughing, she told Mary: "I just wanted to tell you that I'm really happy for you and Terry."

Mary shrugged. "We're not exactly a couple right now," she said, still looking ahead of her. "I got the impression that Terry doesn't want it to be more than a one-night stand. And I don't want to talk about it at the moment, because we have work to do."

Mai said nothing in response to this as she fell into step beside Mary. To her surprise, she did not know what to say. After a few minutes, she felt Mary's hand on her shoulder. Mai looked over, and saw something in Mary's green eyes that she hadn't seen there before: gratitude. "But I do want to thank you," said the blond woman. "For your kind words last night."

Mai put her hand over Mary's and gave it a small squeeze. "Anytime."

The two women continued up the corridor, and after rounding a corner, they saw a few hundred yards ahead of them a set of double doors being watched by a pair of uniformed cops. "You ready for this?" Mai asked Mary.

The detective gave a nod, and then cracked her knuckles. "Let's go to work," she said.

* * *

Andy's match was over rather quickly, with Andy as the victor, which came as no surprise to Terry. What did surprise him was when the loudspeakers blared out the name of the fighter that Terry would be facing next: Jin Chonrei.

Andy left the ring, and made his way over to Terry's side. The younger Bogard saw Terry looking intently at the fighter who had entered the ring in Andy's place: a teenage boy with spiky black hair and a blue Tang suit trimmed with gold. He leaned back over the ropes towards the boy in red, who was just outside the ring, and the two appeared to be whispering to one another.

For a moment, Andy stood next to Terry and also regarded the two boys. Then, he said: "Did you hear his name? _Jin_ Chonrei. Think he and Chonshu are related?"

"I'd say it's a good bet," said Terry. "And if I'm fighting him, this could be a good opportunity for us. I'll try to drag the match out as long as I can, see if maybe I can get him to spill some information." With that, he started towards the ring, and leaped effortlessly over the ropes into it.

As Andy stood there, Joe joined him, sipping on a bottle of water. "I just checked the boards," said Joe. "After Terry's match, I'm supposed to be fighting Jin Chonshu."

Andy nodded. "Terry is going to try to learn what he can from Chonrei. You should try doing the same when it's your turn." Andy's eyes flicked for a moment from the ring over to the brown-haired boy in the red Tang suit. Even though Chonshu continued to look at his brother, Andy got the sense that the boy knew he was being studied.

Andy quickly looked away and tried not to shiver. Then he reached over and clapped Joe on the shoulder. "Just try to keep the wisecracks to a minimum when you're fighting him. I get the feeling that Chonshu doesn't have a sense of humor."

Joe shrugged. "No promises," he said, and then turned his attention up towards the ring.

* * *

Terry Bogard eyed his opponent warily as he assumed his stance. In some ways, Jin Chonrei was exactly what he appeared to be: a young fighter from China who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen. But in other ways, there appeared to be something more about him. It was the eyes. The coal-black eyes gazed calmly at Terry, unblinking, and Terry felt like they were eyes that had seen far more troubles than a boy Chonrei's age should have seen.

Chonrei attacked first, flying through the air and thrusting his left foot out in a jumping kick. Terry dodged and tried to counter, but the boy slid backwards, moving so fast that the air around him appeared to shimmer slightly. Terry blinked for a moment, thinking that he was seeing things, and Chonrei used that moment to try and land an uppercut, his fist becoming enveloped in crimson flame.

Terry felt the oncoming heat from his fist and managed to duck, countering with a crouching kick to Chonrei's shins. This time, his foot connected. Chonrei was knocked back a few feet but quickly regained a defensive stance. He and Terry then lunged at each other, each trying to land blows while at the same time trying to block them from the other person.

"I saw you at the mansion yesterday, but I don't think we were properly introduced," said Terry as he blocked a series of punches, tried to counter with a chop to his opponent's belly.

"I know who you are, Terry Bogard," Chonrei said simply as he deflected with his own chop. "There are few in the fighting circuits these days who do not know the reputation of the Lone Wolf."

Terry launched forward with his knee, tried to hit the boy in the solar plexus. Chonrei dodged and countered with a punch that caught Terry in his chest. Terry backed off for a moment.

"You have me at a disadvantage, then," said Terry. "Because I've never seen you before yesterday. What were you doing there?"

Chonrei raised his fists and circled to the left. Terry tried a kick, but Chonrei once more slid to the side with that same burst of speed that seemed to make the air shimmer. "I could ask you the same thing. Were you there to steal the scroll?"

"We were there to stop Geese Howard. You claim to know my reputation, so you should already know he isn't a friend of mine."

Chonrei launched at his opponent with a mid-level punch, this one also charged with fire. Terry swiveled his body, countered with a kick that caught the boy on his left side. Chonrei appeared to fall towards the canvas, but then proceeded to roll in a half circle around Terry, springing up suddenly, again with that speed that seemed otherworldly, and striking out hard with his feet, catching Terry in the back. Terry did a jump backwards and landed with his arms raised defensively in front of his face.

"And how do I know that you weren't planning to take the scrolls and use them against Geese?" Chonrei asked him.

Terry leaped at Chonrei, and the boy did likewise. Chonrei tried to punch him, but Terry blocked his fist and landed a blow to Chonrei's torso. The two then exchanged a few more punches in midair before touching down again on opposite ends of the ring.

Terry took a deep breath, wiped some blood from the corner of his mouth. "Because," he answered the black-haired boy. "I've seen firsthand what the pursuit of that much power does to someone. And I've seen the price that both they and their loved ones pay for it. If you're thinking of trying to get the Jin Scrolls from Geese for your own personal gain, I can tell you a little story about a man named Laocorn Gaudeamus."

Jin Chonrei's expression grew darker, and his eyes seemed to glow with a strange light, like an icy blue flame. Whatever was making them glow, Terry could sense it wasn't chi energy. "I know of that short-sighted fool, and my brother and I are _nothing_ like him! The scrolls are ours by right, and we _will_ have them!"

"For what reason?" Terry asked.

"That is for us to know!" Chonrei snapped. "Now, we've talked enough! It is time to end this!" He swung his fists through the air, launching three fireballs at Terry Bogard. Terry could have dodged them easily, but then there was a risk that they would injure someone in the crowd. Terry quickly summoned his chi, his own fists glowing blue, and used his Burn Knuckle technique to swat the projectiles from the air, dissipating them harmlessly.

Chonrei then lunged at Terry, the air around him shimmering with boundless energy as the youth moved so fast, he became a blur. Terry was trying to dodge the punches, but Chonrei was moving too quickly. First he was in front of Terry, then he was behind, then back to the front again. Terry knew there was only one way to handle this.

Terry took a deep breath, then slammed his fist against the canvas, launching into his Power Geyser attack. A sudden burst of energy shot up from the ground around the elder Bogard, and although he had used only a fraction of the chi energy that he normally put into that move, it was enough to fling Chonrei backwards against the ropes, where he crumpled to the ground and lay still.

After a few moments, Chonrei got to his feet, and gazed at Terry with a slight look of awe. Terry did not notice, nor did he notice the strobe of camera flashes from the crowd, or hear the announcer say that the match had gone to him. He was thinking only about the light that he had seen in Chonrei's eyes, and that unnatural speed the boy had seemed to summon...

* * *

Joe Higashi smirked as he looked over at the brown-haired teen in the red Tang suit. "Apparently, they've lowered the minimum age for this thing," he said. "Don't worry, I'll try to go easy on you."

"Likewise," said Jin Chonshu as he took up his own stance.

As soon the announcer yelled "FIGHT!", Chonshu charged forward, moving with the same speed that he had used earlier. Joe tried to block the attacks, but half of them were still getting through. So he countered with a fast move of his own: his TNT Punch. Chonshu hadn't been expecting that. He took several blows to the midsection, which resulted in him leaping backwards.

"So, I take it Geese Howard is not a friend of yours?" Joe asked him.

Chonshu charged forward again, this time into a flying kick which Joe sidestepped. When the boy hit the ground, he immediately crouched and went into a leg sweep, which Joe easily jumped, and countered with a kick of his own that caught Chonshu on the chin. "What do _you_ think?" The brown-haired youth asked. "You saw what happened yesterday."

"Well, in that case," said Joe. "I don't see why we can't join forces against Geese. You know, the enemy of your enemy..."

Chonshu launched into another flurry of attacks. Joe did his best to dodge them, stepping lightly backwards towards the ropes. When he was almost up against them, the Muay Thai kickboxer countered with his Tiger Kick, which Chonshu just barely dodged in time.

"This is a family matter, between me and my brother," said Chonshu. "And will remain that way. Besides, how can we be sure you do not wish to steal the Jin Scrolls from Geese, and use them for your own ends?" He launched a fireball at Joe, and after some internal debating, Joe decided to take the hit rather than dodge it, and let it hurt someone outside the ring.

Joe slid back several feet as the pyrokinetic energy slammed against him, but he had been bracing for it, so its effect on him was minimal. Chonshu took a moment to gloat, which enabled Joe to recover, and counter with his flying Slash Kick, which caught Chonshu in the torso and sent him back against the ropes.

"You know what?" Said Joe, starting to get annoyed. "How can _I_ be sure that you aren't secretly working for Geese? Like, you know, a double agent or something?"

Too late, Joe realized the spark that his words had ignited in the boy. Chonshu's eyes seemed to take on a strange quality, as if some ethereal blue mist had filled in the whites of them. He then lunged at his older opponent, once more moving so fast he was a blur. He swung his right arm in an uppercut, his fist blazing bright with psychokinetic fire. He caught Joe square in the chin and sent him flying from the ring. The kickboxer flew back several hundred yards and crashed into the spectator seating.

Thankfully, the seat he landed in was empty. Joe shook his head to clear it, then rubbed his jaw and gazed down in bewilderment at the ring. Chonshu stood in the center of it, those strange eyes still fixed squarely on him. When the announcement came over the loudspeakers that the match had gone to Chonshu, the boy did not seem to register the applause that erupted from all around him. Instead, he simply left the ring and went over to stand by Chonrei, who shot him a look that seemed filled with annoyance.

The two brothers then seemed to be engaged in some sort of argument, but Joe was too far away to hear, and he didn't know how to read lips. Instead, he checked his immediate surroundings, and saw that the seats to his immediate left and right were occupied by two attractive young women dressed in miniskirts and tight Lycra tube tops.

Joe shook his head again. "Well, there are worse ways to lose a match," he said to himself. Then, to the girls: "So, are either of you ladies into kickboxing?"

* * *

From their position down by the ring, Terry and Andy Bogard looked up at the stands, and saw Joe getting chatty with the two female spectators.

"Well, he's definitely all right," said Andy.

"Yeah," Terry said. "But still... what the hell _was_ that? His speed was just like Chonrei's... and then right before he knocked Joe out of the ring, his eyes did that same thing I saw Chonrei's eyes do. Chonrei was more reserved, though. Chonshu didn't even look like he was trying to control his power."

"Hopefully one of us will fight them again tomorrow," said Andy. "Then maybe we can learn something more."

The brothers grew silent as they watched the next match. It was almost over when they noticed Mai and Mary making their way back towards the barriers, so they walked over to meet the two women.

"How'd it go?" Asked Terry.

"Well, Mai definitely wasn't kidding when she said she's trained to be a distraction," said Mary. "I could have screamed in those cops' ears and they wouldn't have noticed me. But anyway, I didn't find anything once I got up there. No sniper nests, nothing out of the ordinary. The scaffolding seems shipshape."

Terry rubbed his chin for a moment. "Are there any other ways that Billy or any of Geese's henchmen might try something?"

Mary chewed her lip thoughtfully for a moment. "Possibly, but it would be trickier down here on the ground, with all these people. Overhead would be the best vantage point. I'm gonna go back to my seat, do a little thinking, and continue to bird-watch. I'll be back down if anything jumps out at me."

"Right," Terry said with a nod. The detective turned and made her way back up into the stands, while Terry, Andy, and Mai moved closer to ringside. In a few moments, they were rejoined by Joe, who appeared to be rubbing at a trace of lipstick still stuck to his cheek.

"Find anything out?" Terry asked him.

"That I might finally get lucky on this trip," said Joe as he pulled a slip of paper with two phone numbers written on it out of the pocket of his shorts. "But if you're asking about Chonshu, I learned that he _definitely_ hates Geese Howard. What set him off at the end of the fight was when I suggested that he might be Geese's double agent."

"But at the same time, whatever they're up to, they seem determined to do it themselves," said Terry.

"Honestly, that's fine with me," Mai said to Terry. "Normally, I like kids, but those two give me the creeps, and I wasn't even here when you and Joe fought them."

"But we can't forget, that they want the Jin Scrolls just like Geese does," reminded Andy. "I just wish we knew why."

The four fighters fell silent for a while as they watched the next few matches. Then it was Andy's turn, and as before, the match ended rather quickly with him as the victor. After two more matches, it was then Mai's turn. The busty ninja gave Andy a quick peck on the lips, then jumped into the air and did a forward flip, landing just inside the ropes. She reached down the front of her outfit, pulled out two fans, and brandished one in each hand as she scanned the ring for her opponent. She saw nothing.

"What, is he invisible?" Mai asked out loud to no one in particular. Suddenly, there was a puff of smoke from the opposite end of the ring, and when it cleared, Mai saw a man dressed in a blue and white dogi, a necklace of red beads around his neck. He was armed with a praying staff, and his face was concealed by a large Asian rice hat. But Mai saw the crest on the upper left corner of his tunic, and found herself remembering something her grandfather once told her...

The man raised his head slightly, and though his mouth and nose were concealed by a mask, the light brown eyes opened wide in recognition when he saw Mai Shiranui. Terry, Andy and Joe were watching from the sides, and their mouths dropped open as both Mai and her opponent shouted to each other at the same time: " _YOU!_ "

To be continued...


	14. Chapter 13

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games, or the anime.

* * *

 _Chapter Thirteen: King of Fighters, Part Two_

If Mai was startled to see her opponent, then outside of the ring, the expressions of Andy, Terry and Joe were completely poleaxed. "Do you know who that is?" Terry whispered to Andy.

"No," said Andy, who was now watching the ring more closely than before. "Master Hanzo mentioned a few times that the Shiranui had some rival clans, but he didn't talk too much about them, since they hadn't been openly hostile in a long time. At this point, I know as much as you do."

Terry gritted his teeth. "So we watch and listen, for now."

"Right," said Andy. _And hope that will be enough_ , he then thought silently.

* * *

Mai's initial shock subsided quickly, as she remembered that she was in the middle of a match. She shook her head and looked again at the crest on her opponent's dogi. "That crest," she said, pointing to it with her fan. "You're a Mochizuki, aren't you?"

"Mochizuki-Sokaku," the man said with a slight bow of his head. He began to circle left, shifting his praying staff carefully from one hand to the other. "And you must be Shiranui-Hanzo's granddaughter."

Mai moved to the left as well, fans raised in a defensive stance. "Yes. Shiranui-Mai. So... the Mochizuki clan, huh? My grandfather didn't talk about you much, since you guys had been keeping to yourselves since before I was born. But it was clear he didn't like you."

"The feeling was mutual," said Sokaku. "But if it is not too late, I would like to express my condolences for your recent loss. I did at least respect Hanzo as a warrior, and an adversary. I just wish I could say the same for his heiress."

Mai scowled. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Sokaku gestured with the circular headpiece of his praying staff at Mai's outfit. "Well, it's obvious that your elders never taught you any modesty."

"Hey!" Mai scoffed. "This happens to be the traditional uniform for a kunoichi of the Shiranui clan!"

"I suppose that's why I've never found it referenced in any of my studies of the Mochizuki clan's records dating back to when the feud started," Sokaku fired back.

The vein in Mai's temple started to throb a little. "I can see why Ojisama didn't like you. You think you know everything! What _would_ you know about another clan's traditions?"

Mai angrily launched one of her fans at Sokaku. Sokaku gripped the handle of his praying staff in both hands and turned it like he were turning a knob. A sudden burst of air emanated from the staff's headpiece, blowing the fan back towards Mai. The kunoichi was momentarily startled, but managed to catch the fan before it would have struck her in the face.

Sokaku then lunged at her, swinging his staff in a half-moon circle above his head, which generated a sudden burst of flame that shot towards Mai. Mai leaped to one side, dodging it, then quickly did a cartwheel forward. As she completed the cartwheel, she crouched for a split second and then launched herself elbow-first at her opponent. She struck him in the ribs and he slid back a few feet, but was still standing.

Mai then jumped forward with a flying kick, which Sokaku deflected with another half-moon swing of the staff, creating a halo of fire in front of him. The sole of Mai's foot touched the handle of his staff, and she used the purchase to do a backwards somersault jump, getting away before the flames could burn her too badly.

"I see you Mochizukis play with fire, too," Mai remarked. "I'm willing to bet Shiranui fire is even hotter, though." Mai flung three fans in rapid succession, each one ablaze with psychokinetic flame. Sokaku managed to dispel two with his staff, but the third one caught him in the solar plexus, momentarily engulfing him in chi fire.

Mai pulled another fan from the front of her gi and chuckled at her opponent. "Did that hurt, Sokaku-san? Want to stop the match, so you can go find your mommy to kiss it and make it better?"

Sokaku regained his feet and brandished his staff menacingly. "I can see another lesson Hanzo failed to teach you: how to listen more and speak less!" He came at her again, this time swinging his staff underhanded. Mai leaped backwards, for a moment balancing her feet on the ropes of the ring, then she jumped forward into another flying kick. This time her foot caught Sokaku on the shoulder, and she did another forward flip to land on the opposite end of the ring, facing him. She threw the fan she was holding and managed to catch him in the small of his back. The Mochizuki ninja was knocked forward against the ropes, but managed to right himself without falling down.

He raised his head slightly as he turned once more to face Mai, and the ninja girl saw cold fire in his amber eyes. "You are fast, girl," he snapped. "But you are facing a man who is so swift, he can be in several places at once." He once more gripped his staff with both hands, the left one resting just under the circular headpiece, and bowed his head as if concentrating. A few seconds later, a half-dozen impish figures, each a foot in height and bearing the likeness of Sokaku, materialized on the canvas in front of him and then jumped at Mai.

By the time Mai had pulled out another fan, the imps were swarming over her, attaching themselves to her body and battering her with their fists. Despite their small size, they definitely packed a punch. Mai staggered backwards, swatting at them with her fan, but she did not seem to be hurting them as much as they were hurting her. So she took a deep breath, using a second to focus, and then launched into a Ryu En Bou. Her spinning attack shook the imps from her and hurled them in all directions. They vanished in puffs of smoke upon hitting the ground.

Breathing hard, Mai turned to face her opponent again, but Sokaku still had his head bowed, both hands gripping his staff handle, which was held vertical in front of him. He sounded like he was chanting a sutra.

Mai started towards him, but then stopped her advance when she saw her opponent start to shimmer slightly. Then, it was as if a mirror image of Sokaku were suddenly standing next to the original, also brandishing a praying staff. The image came at Mai, moving extremely fast. Mai did her best to deflect the attacks but she was struck several times, as his speed proved to be too much for the normally fast and agile ninja girl. She jumped backwards to try and put distance between her and Sokaku's shadow, but suddenly it was as if he were standing behind her. He swung his staff horizontally, and caught her in the back, sending her flying towards the ropes.

Sokaku stopped praying, and the mirror image of him suddenly vanished. Mai stood there with one hand against the ropes, trying to catch her breath, and stared incredulously at her opponent. Sokaku raised his head, and though the bottom half of his face was still covered, Mai could swear he was smirking with triumph. He raised his staff and started towards her.

Mai's large brown eyes remained locked on Sokaku, staring at him as intently as he was staring at her. His last attack had taken a lot out of her. If he tried any other tricks like those, Mai was uncertain how much longer she would be able to defend against him...

Then she saw his eyes flick away from her, in the direction of something else, something... was it behind her? There was no time to figure that out now. For whatever reason, her opponent had looked away, and Mai's instincts took over. She summoned as much chi as she could and did a forward cartwheel, then flung herself towards Sokaku with her Chou Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi attack, her body engulfed in psychokinetic fire.

Sokaku looked back to her and swung his staff as she got close, but he swung too soon, missing her completely. Mai's elbow struck him dead center after he had completed the swing, and he flew backwards several yards, hitting the canvas hard. He lay there on his back, not moving, tendrils of smoke rising from his body.

For a few minutes, the crowd went insane, but Mai was too distracted by her own dark thoughts to soak up their adoration. She felt like her last attack shouldn't have connected. And her opponent was a Mochizuki. He wouldn't have just let her win. What was going on?

After a minute, Sokaku got to his feet, picked up his staff and his rice hat, bowed to Mai Shiranui, and left the ring. Mai was still too deep in thought to bow back. After another moment, she turned and left the ring to make her way back to Andy and the others.

* * *

Even though Mai had won, Andy Bogard could see right away that something was wrong. If the look on her face wasn't enough to tell him that she was troubled by something, the fact that she had not ended the fight with her signature taunt of _Nippon ichi!_ would have definitely tipped him off. Mai left the ring without saying a word, making a brief stop at one of the coolers to grab a bottle of water before rejoining Andy.

"What's wrong?" Andy asked as Mai moved up alongside him.

"Something felt off about that fight," said Mai after taking a long drink from the bottle. "For a while, we were evenly matched, until he broke out the spirit moves, which is when I started losing ground. He clearly had the edge towards the end. I feel like I should have lost."

"Who was that, anyway?" Terry asked. "You seemed to know him."

"I never met him before today, but I knew _of_ him. He's a member of a rival ninja clan, the Mochizukis. Our families haven't been openly hostile to each other since before the second World War, but there's still no love between us. So he definitely wouldn't have let me win without a _very_ good reason."

"He was off right before you hit him with that final attack," said Joe. "We all noticed that from down here. He swung way too early. That's a beginner's mistake, and he didn't seem like a beginner."

Mai nodded grimly. "Right before that, he was looking right into my eyes. Then he seemed to look away... past me... at something in the stands, maybe? I don't know, I didn't turn my head to see what he was looking at. But right after he looked away, the fight went out of him."

"You think he threw that match?" Terry wondered as he rubbed his chin. "Why would he do that?"

"That's an excellent question," said Mai. "And the answer is: I have no idea."

Joe tapped Terry on the shoulder, then. "Looks like Mary wants to talk to us," he said, pointing to the barriers.

Mary did not waste any time. As soon the four were within earshot, she said: "I saw most of that fight. If that guy didn't lose on purpose, I'll eat my jacket."

"Mai feels the same way," said Terry. "We were just trying to figure out why."

"Well, I saw Billy Kane whispering to that guy right before the tournament started," Mary told them. "That could have something to do with it."

Suddenly, Joe snapped his fingers. "I just remembered something! When I was looking at the boards earlier, I noticed that whoever won this match would go on to fight Andy in a few rounds."

"So Billy wanted me and Mai to be in the ring at the same time," said Andy.

"Whatever Geese has planned, that's probably when he'll make his move," said Terry.

"Except I went over every inch of the upper levels," Mary reminded them. "They're deserted."

"And you can't think of anywhere else someone might launch an attack?" Joe asked her.

"Not yet," answered Mary. "I'll keep working on it, see if I can remember anything else in the schematics that was unusual."

For a while, they were all silent. Then Andy looked at the expression on his brother's face, could tell what Terry was thinking. Andy was thinking the same thing, but he understood why Terry didn't want to say it out loud. Finally, Andy spoke up: "Look, Terry, we all know what the best plan is. Let me and Mai fight each other like we're supposed to. The rest of you keep your eyes open for Billy or anyone else who looks suspicious, and try to stop them before anything happens. Then maybe we can get some answers from them."

"Are you both sure you're okay with that?" Terry asked him. "Because you would be the ones directly in harm's way."

"Hm..." Andy thought for a moment, then put his arm around Mai's waist. "Are you nervous about this plan?" He asked her.

Mai flashed him a coy smile. "The real question is: are _you_?"

Andy smiled back at her. Then he said to Terry: "We're on board with it."

"I'll watch the fight from higher up in the stands, and come down the second I spot something," said Mary.

"Right," said Joe. "So I guess Terry and I will watch the crowds from down here."

Terry nodded, though the other four all noticed the apprehension still in his eyes. "Okay. Well, it sounds like we all know what to do. Andy, you and Mai better get back to ringside, you'll be up in a few rounds."

Andy nodded, clapped his older brother on the shoulder. "Good luck," he said.

"You too," Terry responded. As Andy and Mai walked back towards the ring, Joe couldn't help but notice the way that Terry's blue eyes lingered on both of them.

"Terry, it'll be okay," Joe told his friend. "We've been in worse situations than this." Joe almost made another comment about how they had survived those situations, but he stopped himself, since the look on Terry's face suggested that images of Lily were probably racing through his mind.

Mary reached over the barrier, put his hand on Terry's shoulder. "Hey, you sure you're okay with this?"

Terry turned, then gazed into her green eyes for a long moment. "Andy and Mai volunteered for it," he finally told her. "Like you said, we're all here because we choose to be."

Terry's tone was not convincing at all, but the detective simply nodded, and then started towards the stands again. Terry watched her disappear into the crowds, then turned his attention back towards the ring. Terry _was_ thinking about Lily, but at the same time, the images of her death flashing over and over in his mind were inter-cut with something else: images of his dream from last night.

* * *

When it was finally Andy and Mai's turn to fight, there was a long moment after the announcer had signaled the start of the match where the two of them just stood there and stared each other down.

"This feels kind of weird, Andy," Mai told him as she pulled a pair of fans out from inside her uniform.

"How so?" Andy Bogard asked her.

"I'm used to us being on a team," said Mai. "I think this is the first time we've ever fought each other outside of a practice match at the dojo."

"Technically, we are still on a team," Andy said with a shrug. "By fighting one another, we're helping Terry and the others uncover a potential plot, and maybe get a clue as to where to find Geese."

"Helping them by fighting each other... And you don't think that sounds weird?" Mai asked. " _I_ think it sounds weird."

"What's weird to me is facing my girlfriend outside of practice," said Andy as he assumed his stance. "Because I've never actually _wanted_ to fight you like I want to fight Terry. I mean, what do I do? Do I fight you for real? Do I hold back?"

Mai's expression grew serious as she took up her own stance. "I expect you to handle this fight like you do all your fights, Andy: come at me with everything you've got, because that's what I'll be doing to you. If I find out you're pulling your punches, then you'll be sleeping with yourself tonight."

Andy came at her then, fists and feet a blur. Mai deflected his blows while trying to get in some herself, which Andy deflected just as easily as she did his attacks. Having sparred together since they were kids, each had a good idea of the others' style. Mai delivered a high kick which Andy ducked, and then he countered with his rising dragon punch, the Sho Ryu Dan. Mai did a flip backwards to avoid it and landed on the opposite end of the ring.

"Now that's what I'm talking about, Andy!" She said excitedly as she opened one of her fans and waved it at her face to try and cool herself off. The look in her brown eyes then seemed to change suddenly. "You know, Andy, you look really handsome right now," she purred. "You're actually getting me a little wet. When we get back to the room tonight, I think I'll rip your clothes off with my teeth!"

Andy blinked, for a moment distracted by that mental image, and Mai used the distraction to launch a fan which Andy just barely caught in time."Okay, _now_ you're not fighting fair!" He said as he tossed the fan back to her.

"No, Andy," Mai said with a shrug. "I'm fighting like a kunoichi. I did things like this all the time when we sparred as teenagers."

Andy's brow furrowed for a moment. "I don't remember that."

Mai giggled. "Because you spent so much time studying grandfather's lessons, you still hadn't learned what flirting was." Smirking, Mai leaped at him and went into a flying kick. Andy dodged it and tried to counter with a hit of his own, not pulling his punches.

* * *

Down by the barriers, Joe Higashi took a moment to stop crowd-watching in order to glance at the ring. "I've never seen those two actually fight each other for real before," he said to Terry. "I gotta admit: it's impressive to watch."

"Stay focused," Terry said as he scanned the crowd for any hint of red and blue. "They're counting on us, remember?"

"Right," Joe said with a nod. He and Terry then continued to circle the ring, looking out at the stands for anything suspicious. So far, they had not found anything. Billy Kane stood out pretty easily in a crowd, but they hadn't seen him yet. As they reached the corner where two barriers intersected, they were met by Mary, who was holding her binoculars and looking annoyed.

"We haven't seen Billy or anyone else who looks suspicious," Joe told her.

"I just saw Billy leave the stadium arena," said Mary. "That's why I came down. I noticed that he wasn't heading in the direction of either of the stairways to the upper levels. Then I remembered something: There's a ramp that leads _underneath_ the ring, but it's been sealed off for a few years."

"You're sure?" Joe asked her.

"Positive," Mary said with a nod. "I looked the whole building over when I first got this assignment. The entrance to that ramp is sealed by a wall of concrete and cinder blocks at least five feet thick."

"And there's no other ways down there?" Said Terry.

"None that I found on the schematics," Mary answered with a shake of her head. "But I still feel like we should check it out."

"Me, too," agreed Terry. "Joe, are you feeling up to coming with us? You took quite a hit not too long ago."

Joe shrugged. "I've had worse, remember? Let's do it!" The two friends jumped the barrier, and let Mary lead them out of the seating area towards the ramp-way entrance.

* * *

Inside the ring, Mai risked taking her eyes off Andy for a moment, saw that Terry, Joe, and Mary were leaving. Andy took that moment to lunge with a Zan-Ei-Ken, which Mai almost didn't dodge.

"Mary's leading Terry and Joe out of the stadium arena," Mai noted.

"That probably means that they've found something," said Andy. "Let's keep this going so that they can do their job." Andy then launched a strong jab at her, which Mai ducked. She then countered with a crouching roundhouse kick, catching Andy in the shins. He leaped back a few feet, hands raised defensively.

Behind her boyfriend, just outside the ropes, Mai noticed the Jin brothers standing there. The one in blue seemed to be looking down at the floor, but the one in red was watching the match closely. For a moment, her large brown eyes met Chonshu's black eyes, and Mai shuddered, forced herself to look away. She was so distracted that Andy managed to get close enough to throw her.

Mai landed on her backside on the canvas and did a quick handspring to her feet. Andy started at her, but then noticed the odd look on her face. "Everything okay, Mai?" He asked, stopping warily.

"I think so," said Mai. "I just... don't like the fact that Chonrei and Chonshu are watching us. Something about their eyes creeps me out. They... seem like the eyes of someone who's already lived a whole lifetime. But that can't be, because they're kids."

Andy nodded. "Well, whatever is going to happen, it probably won't be from them. They hate Geese as much as I do." He then extended a hand to her, gestured with his fingers. "Now then... don't tell me you're finished already?"

"Not even close," Mai said with a laugh as she launched herself at him feet-first.

* * *

They arrived at the entrance to the ramp to find that no guard was posted, and also that a hole had somehow been blasted through the barrier. Terry, Joe and Mary looked at one another without speaking, but each could tell what the others were thinking. Given the lack of debris, the hole had most likely been made by chi energy.

"Guess it's no longer sealed," said Joe.

"Which means someone is down there," said Terry. "Let's check it out. Mary, are you coming?"

Mary nodded as she slipped on her fingerless gloves. "I would normally say to leave it to the police. But since my gut is telling me at least one of them is involved in this plot, then yeah, I'm in."

With that, the three of them started through the aperture, and down the ramp towards the area directly under the ring. Once at the bottom of the ramp, they moved cautiously but quickly down a drab concrete corridor with an arched ceiling.

"This area of the stadium has been abandoned for a while," Mary said as they half-walked, half-ran. "Why are the lights still working?" She raised a finger skyward, indicating the tubular flourescents that buzzed overhead at the apex of the ceiling arch.

"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough," Terry called back over his shoulder.

His words were almost prophetic. As they rounded a corner, they came face to face with a familiar figure armed with a bo staff. Billy Kane stood there with his feet apart in a fighting stance, flanked by Sokaku Mochizuki on his left, and on his right by a man with short blond hair dressed in black slacks, and a skintight black shirt and vest. Behind them were about ten grunts that Terry didn't recognize, probably just hired thugs.

"We just keep runnin' into each other, don' we?" Billy asked the three of them.

"Lucky us," Joe growled.

"Well, in a way, you're right, Higashi," Mary said with a small smirk. Then she called to Billy: "It's a bit late, Kane, but it looks like I finally have my excuse to put you in the hospital."

"Ya know, the only thing I hate more than nature," quipped Billy. "Is cops. Ya ready to dance?"

Before Mary could say anything, Terry surprised them all by suddenly slamming his fist against the grimy concrete in a Power Wave attack. As they expected, Billy, Sokaku, and the man in black all dodged it by leaping to the sides. The thugs behind them were not as quick. It struck one of them dead center, flinging him up towards the ceiling, which he slammed into rather harshly before falling back towards the ground and lying still.

The three main players hung back as the other nine thugs rushed at Terry, Joe, and Mary. Naturally, they didn't last long against such seasoned fighters. Soon, it was just Billy, Sokaku and the black-clad fighter left.

"Those thugs didn't give a very good showing," muttered the man in black as their three opponents surrounded them.

"S'why we only paid them half up front, Yamazaki," Billy responded to him.

"A wise decision," Sokaku said with a nod. "So, which of them do you want?"

"Well, I can tell that Ryan's been achin' fer a piece of me," said Billy. "So I'll take her, if you don't mind." Billy started towards Mary, expertly twirling his bo staff.

Mary appeared undaunted by the display, and assumed her stance. Out of the corners of her eye, she saw Sokaku move against Joe, while the black-clad fighter (Billy had called him Yamazaki) went towards Terry.

"You flatter yourself, Kane," the blond detective said to her opponent. "I don't really want a piece of _you_ , per se. If anything, I'd love to meet your boss, and I hear you know where he is. "

"Oh, you'll meet him when he's ready for guests," Billy said as he lunged at her, swinging his staff. "But first, he needs to catch up on some reading." Mary ducked the attack, heard the tip of Billy's staff graze the wall behind her, tearing out a chunk of concrete in the process. He followed this almost immediately with a low sweep in the opposite direction. Mary dodged it by using her hands to spring forward, feet lashing out and catching Billy in the stomach.

He slid back several yards, and almost immediately countered with a forward horizontal thrust of his staff, trying to catch Mary in the chest with the tip of it. She swiveled to the side, avoiding the attack, and then grabbed hold of it, preparing to use it as leverage to throw her opponent. However, Billy quickly channeled chi energy through his weapon, and Mary felt hot spikes of pain lance upwards from her hands to her shoulders. The resulting shock threw her back against the wall.

Mary quickly regained her feet, just as Billy did another thrust forward with the tip of the staff. This time Mary spun past it and towards him, getting close enough to grab and throw her opponent over her shoulder. Billy hit the ground shoulder-first, somersaulted to his feet, and then moved towards Mary again with a wicked grin on his face.

"So, any reason he's not ready for guests?" Mary asked Billy. "Does he need to tidy up, or is he still doing his nails?"

Mary dodged two swings from the staff, countered with a chop that Billy managed to deflect by swinging his staff to the left. Mary pivoted and delivered a spinning kick to his right side, then immediately followed this by sliding in low towards Billy, grabbing him by the waist, and flipping him again.

This time, the lanky fighter managed to land on his feet. "He's catchin' up on his reading," Billy said with a cold smirk. "But once he's done that, I'm sure he'll be delighted to meet all of you."

Mary smirked back at him. "He can read? I don't think _that_ was in his file." She then hung back, circling Billy, as usual waiting for her opponent to lose patience and make the next move. It happened rather quickly, Billy lunging at her with an underhanded swing of his staff. She dodged it, and then continued to watch for openings as he continued to swing.

* * *

Joe Higashi, meanwhile, had his hands full dealing with the imps from Sokaku's Nozaru Geri attack. The Muay Thai kickboxer managed to dispel them with his Hurricane Upper move, and the whirlwind also managed to catch Sokaku himself. He was spun around in the funnel before being flung several yards back up the corridor.

The white-clad ninja quickly regained his feet and launched a series of jabs at Joe with the butt of his praying staff. "So, why are you helping someone like Billy?" Joe asked as he dodged the blows.

"He made a very tempting offer," Sokaku explained. "For too long, the Mochizuki clan has been idle. But it would be foolish to provoke our rivals openly. For the Shiranui to lose Hanzo's heiress in an 'unfortunate accident' at this tournament so soon after Hanzo's own passing would create a power vacuum. No doubt Mai-san's uncles would spend the better part of a year bickering over which of them should get what. That would leave their clan ripe for the picking."

Joe dodged the latest staff thrust and countered with a punch that nearly connected. "Listen," he said. "I don't blame you for finding Mai annoying, because she can be. But I have to draw the line at trying to kill her. Unofficially, she's my best friend's fiancee. Andy was already a moody bastard before he and Mai became serious, and it was only last night that they _FINALLY_ consummated. If you kill her now, there'll be no living with the guy."

Sokaku paused momentarily in his attack and held his praying staff in a defensive stance. "You mean she willingly tainted the blood of Nippon by allowing that American into her bed?" He shook his head in disgust. "All the more reason to dislike her and her clan."

Joe took advantage of his opponent's distraction, and launched into a flying kick that caught Sokaku in the chest. Joe did a flip backwards after his foot connected, landing on his feet, and followed up quickly with a Tiger Kick that caught Sokaku in the belly. Joe's opponent was winded, but still on his feet. He countered with a half-moon sweep of his staff, and Joe leaped backwards to dodge the flames that it summoned.

"I cannot believe you just used those words together in a sentence," Joe said with a shake of his head. "Dude, it's 1995. Who the hell talks like that anymore?" He then raised his fists and circled to the left, waiting for Sokaku to make another move.

* * *

Up in the ring, Mai had just finished dodging another attack, and countered with a fan chop. Andy avoided it, but Mai followed it up immediately with a leg sweep that Andy had to jump backwards to dodge.

For a moment, she and Andy faced each other, catching their breath. Mai let her gaze drift over once again to Chonrei and Chonshu, saw that both of the teenagers were now looking down at the floor.

 _They're doing that again_ , she thought to herself. _Why do they keep doing that?_ There was little time for her to ponder it, however, as Andy came at her yet again. Mai raised her fan in a defensive stance and prepared to counter.

* * *

Down in the tunnels, Terry Bogard was grim-faced as he circled his opponent. There was something unsettling about this man, Yamazaki. Maybe it was his stance, the way his right hand stayed in the pocket of his slacks while only his left remained raised. Or maybe it was that look in his eyes, a wild look that seemed to suggest that whatever reason he was helping Billy, it was not out of loyalty to Geese, but rather for his own amusement.

The attack came suddenly as Yamazaki did a short lunge forward, swinging his left leg up over his head and bringing the heel down hard, his hand still in his pocket. Terry turned to avoid it, and countered by swinging his body around clockwise, leg extended in a spinning kick. Yamazaki's right hand suddenly came out of his pocket, and grabbed Terry's ankle in mid-kick. He then slammed his left fist into Terry's stomach several times. After a few hits, Terry swiveled his upper body, his elbow striking Yamazaki in the jaw. Yamazaki, dazed, dropped Terry's leg, and Terry immediately brought his other knee up into the black-clad fighter's stomach. While the blond man was winded, Terry followed this up by throwing him over his shoulder.

Yamazaki struck the far wall of the tunnel, but still managed to land on his feet. He then emitted a short, high-pitched laugh that reminded Terry of a hyena. Hand still in his pocket, he lunged and brought his left fist swinging in an uppercut. Terry dodged the blow, but was not prepared for what happened next. Yamazaki lunged again, thrusting his head forward like a battering ram and slamming it into Terry as hard as he could. Terry took the blow in his ribs and was sent reeling back towards the wall.

Yamazaki tried to press the attack. Terry, with his back to the wall, dodged a series of jabs, and then the elder Bogard's opponent tried to headbutt him again, but this time Terry was ready. He sidestepped, causing Yamazaki to strike the wall headfirst.

Now it was Terry's turn to press the attack. He brought his knee up into the blond man's breastbone, then followed with a left uppercut that knocked Yamazaki back several yards. Yamazaki stood up, hand still in his pocket, then spit blood from his mouth and emitted that eerie hyena laugh again.

 _Man, that is creepy_ , Terry thought to himself as he readied himself for another attack.

It came more suddenly than Terry was expecting. Yamazaki seemed to glide forward, swinging his right leg up this time in a high kick. Terry managed to avoid the first kick, but then his opponent swung the heel of their shoe down just as hard, catching Terry on the shoulder. Terry grunted as he felt a sharp pain stab at his chest, and for a moment he had trouble keeping his feet. _That headbutt probably cracked a rib_ , he thought grimly.

Yamazaki saw him wavering, and pressed the attack. He grabbed Terry with his left hand as his right hand emerged from pants pocket, glowing faintly. A bright cone of chi energy seemed to spring from that hand, reminding Terry of the head of a drill.

As the energy slammed into him a second later, Terry found that it hurt just as badly as he imagined a drill might hurt. Hot knives of pain lanced through him, and he was flung backwards, up the tunnel.

Slowly, Terry got to his feet. He was not used to facing an opponent with such an unorthodox style. Yamazaki's techniques seemed to be all over the place, making it hard to sense patterns.

The black-clad fighter was almost upon Terry Bogard when Yamazaki heard a small yell from behind. A moment later, Billy Kane crashed into him, having been thrown by Mary, and the two of them struck the concrete floor in a heap.

Mary made her way quickly over to Terry's side and assumed her stance. "Having fun?" She asked him.

"A ball," Terry said with a smirk as he regained his feet and took up a stance alongside her. "Fighting together seemed to work well last time, so why not again?"

Across from them, their opponents seemed to be recovering as well. "Can I have a turn with the cop now, Billy?" Yamazaki asked. "I probably hate them more than you do."

While keeping one eye warily on Terry and Mary, Billy reached into his jeans pocket, pulled out a stopwatch, and glanced at its digital face. "Sorry, Yama, but it's time to book. Ripper should be long gone by now." Billy turned his head slightly, called up the corridor to where Joe and Sokaku were still going at each other. "Hey, Sokaku! We're leaving!"

Sokaku, after hearing his name called, swung his staff at Joe in another half-moon circle, generating more fire, then he sprinted over to Billy and Yamazaki.

"Like hell you're leaving, Kane!" Mary growled through clenched teeth. Joe took up a position on the opposite side of Terry and Mary as the three tried to box their opponents in.

Billy gave her a polite nod. "Sorry, detective, it's been fun distracting you, but the fun times never last. Sokaku?"

Sokaku nodded, and spun his praying staff rapidly in front of him like a propeller. A cloud of thick gray smoke then seemed to shoot forward from the staff's head, shrouding the corridor completely and causing the trio of fighters to cough and gag.

By the time the smoke cleared, their opponents had vanished. "Shall we go after them?" Joe asked the other two.

"We shouldn't," said Mary. "Billy just said the three of them were a distraction. We'd better keep moving. We're almost directly under the ring." She stepped past Joe and started up the hallway once more. "Follow me, quick!"

A few minutes later, the corridor ended in a chamber with a high ceiling, and four concrete pillars in the center of the room arranged in a square formation. They could tell, judging by the noises that leaked down through the ceiling, that those pillars were directly beneath the ring.

As the three fighters entered the room, Terry Bogard's gaze looked upwards to the ceiling in between those pillars. His blue eyes opened wide with horror as he saw a considerable amount of plastique pressed against the spot directly below the ring, with a timer attached. Even from down on the ground, Terry could see that the timer read "00:10," and was steadily moving backwards towards zero.

 _Andy... Mai... no!_ Terry started towards the pillars, and then stopped when he felt a hand gripping his arm. Mary had seen the same thing as Terry, and she knew that it was too late. Billy and the others had managed to distract them long enough.

"Terry, no!" She shouted. "That thing's gonna blow any second!"

"I don't care!" Terry shouted back. "Andy and Mai are still up there!" He continued to try and move forward, and even though she was gripping his arm with both hands now, the soles of her boots planted against the concrete, Mary found that she had trouble stopping him.

She cast a quick glance at Joe, silently pleading with the kickboxer for some help, and then all but screamed in Terry's ear: "I know, Terry, but it's too late! None of us can jump high enough to get to it in time, and we can't risk using a chi attack to dislodge it, or we might set it off. All we can do is get clear!"

After a few seconds of internal debating, Joe grabbed Terry's other arm and started to help Mary with dragging Terry backwards. He didn't like doing it. After all, his friends were up there. But Mary was thinking like a cop, and her logic was sound. All they could do now was stop Terry from getting in the way of that bomb, which now had only a few seconds left on the timer.

As he was half-dragged up the corridor by Mary and Joe, Terry screamed as loud as he could: " _ANDY! MAI! GET OUT OF THE RING! NOW!"_ The next few seconds were a blur as the bomb detonated.

* * *

Up in the ring, Mai and Andy were still going toe to toe. Mai sidestepped Andy's flying kick, and countered with a spinning kick that caught him in his lower back. While Andy was recovering from that, Mai again took another moment to glance at Chonrei and Chonshu. The two boys were looking at the floor again, harder than they were before, their brows furrowed.

"Why do they keep doing that?" Mai asked out loud.

"Doing what?" Andy sounded puzzled.

"Looking down at the floor," Mai explained. "It's almost like they're trying to..."

Anything else she was going to say was then drowned out by a bright flash and a deafening roar that seemed to erupt from beneath their feet.

To be continued...


	15. Chapter 14

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games or the animes.

* * *

 _Chapter Fourteen: Damage Control_

 **South Town Pavilion**

They had made it about a hundred feet back up the corridor when Mary Ryan heard the explosion. Her cop instincts kicking in once again, she threw herself flat on the concrete floor, bringing Terry and Joe down along with her. Moments later, a cloud of dust and finely pulverized debris flew past over their heads as the ground rumbled slightly, and the harsh lights overhead flickered.

As soon as the dust had settled, Terry Bogard got to his feet and stared grimly back the way they had come, which was now blocked off. Mary and Joe got to their feet as well, neither of them speaking, as they simply did not know what to say. What _could_ be said?

"We... we don't know for certain they... were still in that ring," Joe finally found the courage to venture. "The match... might have ended before it blew."

If Terry had heard what his friend said, he did not acknowledge it. He simply turned on his heel and sprinted back towards the ramp.

"Terry, wait for us!" Mary called as she and Joe ran after him, trying their best to keep up. But when they got to the ramp, it was evident that the elder Bogard had left them far behind. They moved back up to ground level, and saw no sign of him, nor did they see any sign of Billy, Sokaku, or Yamazaki. What they did find was a large crowd swarming out of the stadium area in a panic, clamoring to get to the exits. A few uniformed policeman were trying to keep things under control, but Mary could see that there weren't enough of them.

Still running on instincts, she approached the nearest officer without hesitation, picking her way through the crowds with Joe following cautiously behind. "What's your name, kid?" She spoke to the patrolman in a commanding voice.

"Officer Martin Coleman," the cop said, taken somewhat aback by both the authority with which Mary spoke, and the steel behind her green eyes.

"I'm a detective with the South Town PD, Martin," Mary spoke, unflinching. "Has anyone called for back up?"

"I... I don't know," Martin answered, not sounding as sure as Mary wanted him to sound. "I think that I saw the inspector on his radio, but I... I couldn't be sure."

Mary shook her head. The kid was definitely a rookie, as he hadn't even asked to see a badge. She was beginning to wonder if that was why she hadn't recognized any of the men Bowers had picked. Had he chosen green kids on purpose? _Wonder about that later,_ she thought. _There's work to do._

" _Thinking_ is not good enough in a situation like this, Martin," she snapped at the young patrolman. "You have a radio of your own, don't you? You get on it, and even _if_ assistance has been requested, you request it again. You tell dispatch exactly what happened, and tell them to have every precinct within ten miles of this venue send every last cop they can spare, and even those they can't spare. Have them bring in off-duty cops if they have to. We'll need crowd control, we'll need paramedics, and tell them to bring plenty of blankets, water, and flashlights. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Martin. He reached for the radio that was clipped on the shirt of his uniform and started speaking into it, slowly at first, but then with a little more confidence.

Mary turned back towards Joe. "This way," she said, running as fast as the throng of retreating spectators would allow her towards the arena entrance. The kickboxer took a deep breath, and then plunged after her.

* * *

Like a salmon fighting its way upstream, Terry Bogard tried to make his way back into the arena, pushing past the crowds who were fleeing in the opposite direction. Some of them appeared to be bruised and scraped, but all of them were screaming. Terry could barely hear it over the blood pounding in his ears, could barely notice it over the images playing over and over in his mind: Joe Higashi's shoulder being pierced by the sniper's bullet, Lily McGuire falling headfirst to her death... and now, the fact that his brother and his future sister-in-law might be in pieces, or burned and bloodied beyond recognition...

He shook his head. _No, don't let yourself think that. Joe is right, they might not even have been in the ring._ But judging by the cheering that had been filtering down right before the bomb went off, Terry couldn't help but feel a doubt.

Terry was halfway to the crowd-control barriers when he felt someone grab his arm. He turned, and saw a man about his age with a rather large gash in his forehead just below the hairline, blood seeping down into his eyes. The man seemed to be having trouble seeing because of this.

"Help..." the man said feebly as he blinked repeatedly, his hand gripping the collar of Terry Bogard's jacket. For a moment, Terry didn't know what to do. There was a good chance that Andy and Mai might be dead, but Terry needed to know as soon as possible. Besides, what could he do for this guy? He had learned a few field techniques in the street-fighting rings for patching up wounds, but this man might have internal damage, maybe even a brain injury. Terry didn't know anything about what to do for that...

As he stood there with the wounded man, debating on what he should do, Mary and Joe soon found their way to him. "I've got him," Joe said as he gripped the injured man by both his arms. "You two go on ahead. You might need Mary's help getting past the cops."

Mary nodded. "All right. Listen to me, Joe: Move this man off to the side, away from the crowds, and keep talking to him. Make sure he hears and acknowledges your voice. Whatever you do, do _not_ let him fall asleep. As soon as you spot someone who looks like a paramedic, you hand him over to them and come find us."

"Right," Joe said as he started to steer the man out of the crowds that were still rushing around them. Terry and Mary continued onward towards ringside.

By the time they got closer to it, the crowds had almost completely gone. They both noticed that the barriers surrounding the ring had been knocked flat, and that the ring itself had been replaced by a mountain of rubble partially obscured by a thick dust cloud. There were a few officers milling around by the flattened barriers, but other than that, there was no one else in sight.

Both Terry and Mary looked silently at each other for a moment. Then Mary reached over, took his hand in hers. "Are you sure you're ready to see this, Terry?" She asked him.

Terry looked back towards the remains of the ring. "I have to know," he said simply, then shrugged off Mary's hand and started forward. He had almost made it over what was left of the barriers when a middle-aged man in a gray trench coat suddenly appeared in front of him.

"This area is a crime scene now," the man said, holding his hands out in front of him. "It's restricted to anyone who isn't police, fire, or paramedics."

Mary was at Terry Bogard's side in seconds. "If it's a crime scene, Bowers, then how come your men are just standing around holding their dicks instead of cordoning it off?" She waved her hand, indicating the two or three officers standing nearby who did not appear to be doing much, other than looking confused. "Or for that matter, why are they not helping facilitate an orderly evacuation? Please tell me you at least called for back-up to help replace the men who were no doubt killed when this bomb went off. Or would that require too much thinking on your part?"

Inspector Bowers moved his gaze to Mary. "You're suspended, Ryan," he snapped. "You have no jurisdiction here, and even if you did, I would outrank you. So I will handle this situation as I see fit."

"In other words, you'll handle it the way your master, Geese Howard, tells you to handle it!" Mary fired back.

"By all means, Ryan, dig your hole deeper," the inspector snarled. "Make it easier for me to suspend you indefinitely!"

"Please!" Terry shouted over both of them. "Both my brother and his girlfriend might have been in that ring when the bomb went off. I need to see if they're all right!"

Bowers turned back to Terry and gave a cold smirk. "So you're the next of kin? Well, then, please give your contact info to any uniformed officer you see here. If we find any body parts, we'll call you in to ID them."

Terry suddenly grabbed the inspector by his collar, cocked his other arm back with his fingers curled into a fist. He was about to let fly when he felt Mary grab his arm with both hands.

"Terry, no!" She said firmly. Terry looked down at her with confusion as he released his grip on Bowers. Mary gave Terry a smirk and added: "Please, allow me!" She then turned swiftly and punched Bowers dead center in the face. The inspector flew backwards, blood pouring from his nose like a faucet, and crumpled next to what was left of the ring's edge. "Your bedside manner needs a little work, captain," Mary snapped as she glared daggers down at him. The officers who had noticed the punch seemed more concerned with helping the inspector than with trying to stop the two fighters, which was fine with Terry and Mary. They proceeded past Bowers and started to circle the pile of debris that had once been the ring.

As the pair moved around the rubble, Terry started to shout the names of both his brother and Mai. After a few minutes, he heard a female voice call his name. Terry and Mary turned, and saw Mai Shiranui come running up to them through the haze of dust that still hung in the air. She was bruised and her gi was slightly torn and frayed around the edges, but otherwise she looked fine.

Terry breathed an audible sigh of relief as he put his hands on her shoulders. "Mai, thank God you're all right. Is Andy...?"

"He's alive," said Mai. "Follow me."

The ninja girl led the other two to one of the front rows of spectator seats. There, they found Andy Bogard sitting in one of those seats with a paramedic on either side of him. One of them was shining a penlight in Andy's blue eyes, while the other was dabbing at a gash on his forehead with a cotton swab of peroxide. Andy fidgeted uncomfortably in the seat, not so much from the stinging of the antiseptic, but rather from the attention that the EMTs were giving him. Standing nearby, looking even more uncomfortable than Andy, were Chonrei and Chonshu.

"Andy!" Terry shouted as he made his way over to his brother, blowing out a huge breath of relief in the process.

"Good to see you, bro," Andy said with a smirk. "Maybe you can convince these two to stop fawning over me, since Mai wouldn't make them stop."

"I needed to be sure my man was all right," said Mai sternly, hands on her hips. "You got it a little worse than me."

The medic with the penlight snapped it off and slipped it into his shirt pocket. "Well, the good news is, there doesn't appear to be any broken bones, and he scored a 15 on his GCS," he said to Mai as he stood up.

Both Terry and Mai regarded the medic with confused looks. Then the second EMT added: "Sorry, he has an annoying habit of being too technical. What he was trying to say is that it looks like Mr. Bogard doesn't have any head injuries. But we would like to bring him downtown to observe him."

Andy gave his girlfriend a pleading look. "Mai, you know I hate hospitals. I'm fine, really." He stood up quickly to prove his point, but even this made him wince a little.

Mai rolled her eyes at Andy, but to his relief, she acquiesced. "Don't worry," she said to the paramedics. "I'll keep him awake."

The two paramedics looked at each other for a moment. "Okay," one of them said. "But if you notice anything out of the ordinary, bring him down to South Town General immediately."

Mary cleared her throat. "There's someone over by the west exit who actually _might_ have a concussion," she said to the EMTs. "A man named Joe Higashi is with him."

The two men nodded, and ran off in the direction that Mary had indicated. As soon as they were gone, Terry asked what both he and Mary were thinking: "How did you two survive that blast?"

"Well, it was strange," said Andy. "One minute we were in the ring, and then a second later, we were outside of it. We just barely felt the heat from the explosion."

"Yes!" Andy was interrupted by a joyous shout. Joe ran up to the group and gave both Andy and Mai a hug. "I _knew_ it would take more than a bomb to kill you two! But how did you survive it?"

Mai pointed at the two brothers standing nearby. "Chonrei and Chonshu told us that they carried us out of the ring a split second before the bomb went off. They moved so fast, much faster than we saw them moving earlier. Also, their chi is fire-based, like mine and Andy's, so apparently they used that to shield us even further, which protected us from the worst of it."

Terry turned to face the two teenagers, pressing the palms of his hands flat together and bowing his head. "Thank you for saving their lives," he said to them. "They're the only family I have left. If I lost them... you don't know what that would have done to me."

Chonshu grew red in the cheeks, the same shade of crimson as his Tang suit, and looked away. Chonrei, however, folded his own hands and returned the bow to the elder Bogard.

"It was strange," said Andy. "When me and Mai were fighting, she kept telling me that they were standing just outside the ring looking down at the floor. Like they thought something was up."

"We heard voices underneath the ring," Chonrei explained. "And what sounded like the beeping of a timer."

"But with all the other noise around you," said Mary. "How could you have heard that?"

"And we are grateful for what you did," Mai added. "But _why_ did you save us?"

"As I told the Lone Wolf earlier," Chonrei explained. "The answer to the first question is for us to know. As for the second question: when Terry Bogard and I fought, I sensed that he was an honest man. He spoke the truth when he said that he does not desire the scrolls, or their power. The five of you only wish to stop Geese Howard from using them. The end of Howard is one goal we all seem to have in common, and my brother and I will need all the help we can get."

Terry was about to question them further when suddenly they saw Inspector Bowers approaching them, flanked on each side by a uniformed officer, one of them with a pair of cuffs in hand. "Good, there you all are," Bowers said, his voice slightly nasal from the tissues that were crammed in his nostrils to staunch the blood flow. "I'm placing Ryan under arrest for assault. I assume you know your rights, detective?"

Terry moved in front of Mary, while behind her, Andy, Mai and Joe all assumed a fighting stance. Mary, however, stepped around Terry and started towards the officers with her hands raised. "It's okay. I'll go with them. Bowers may be a corrupt piece of shit, but these other men are just doing their jobs."

"I'll come get you when we're done here," Terry said to her as the cop with the handcuffs approached her.

Mary thought for a second, then reached into the pocket of her jacket, causing the patrolmen to instantly move their hands towards the weapons holstered at their hips.

"Oh, take a pill, Wyatt Earp!" Mary snapped at them. "You _know_ I don't carry a gun." Her hand reappeared a moment later, holding a set of keys. "You know how to drive a motorcycle, right?" She asked Terry.

"You already know the answer," Terry said with a smirk.

Mary smirked back at him, and tossed him the keys, which Terry snatched out of midair. "They'll likely be taking me to the thirty-seventh precinct," she said as the uniformed officer with cuffs pinned her hands behind her back. "After you're done here, come bail me out, will you? My ride is parked in lot B2. And if you scratch her, you're a dead man."

"I'll treat her like a lady," Terry said. "Thanks, Mary."

Mary simply nodded to him as the cuffs were snapped in place. After the patrolmen had taken her away, Bowers turned to the other four. "As I said to Mr. Bogard earlier, this is now a crime scene. You have five minutes to leave the stadium, or you'll be joining her in that cell." With that, he turned on his heel and stalked off.

Mai stuck her tongue out at the inspector's back, while Terry turned back to where the Jin brothers had been standing. But they were gone. "Damn, they must have slipped off," Terry growled.

"We'd better get lost, too," said Joe. "Not much more we can do standing around here, and Mary's boss seems like a real prick. I'm sure he probably _would_ arrest us, too."

As they made their way towards one of the exits, Terry asked Andy: "Are you sure you and Mai are gonna be all right?"

Andy nodded. "We'll be fine. You go take care of Mary."

"Lemme know what her bail is when you get there," said Joe. "I'll take care of it."

"Thanks," Terry said with a nod, and then picked up his pace a little, soon leaving the other three behind. After he was gone, Mai put her arm around Andy's shoulder. "Okay, Andy, when we get back to our room, I'll have to keep you awake at least until midnight. But fortunately, I have some ideas."

"Oh? Like what?" Andy asked her.

Mai gave him a smile, and a sly wink. "Well, remember that errand I had to run right before we left Germany? I think maybe it's time I showed you what I bought. I've been waiting for a long time now to wear it for you."

"Hey, lovebirds!" Joe growled. "Keep it down, will you? Don't make me lose my appetite before we get back to the hotel. I've been having dreams about those alligator bites all day."

"If you don't wanna lose your appetite, then don't look in any mirrors before we get there," Mai said with a laugh.

As Joe and Mai continued to go back and forth, Andy took a moment to look in the direction that Terry had gone. He remembered what Terry had said to the Jin brothers earlier, remembered the look on his face before that when Andy and Mai had chosen to go ahead and fight each other to try to draw Geese's plan into the open. He had gotten used to Terry being the strong one, the rational one, the one who always managed to keep his head no matter what. Even when they were growing up on the streets, Terry had always been the one in control, both inside and out. Now... Andy hoped his brother would be able to keep it together for what was to come.

* * *

Several blocks from the tournament stadium, Jin Chonrei and Jin Chonshu were racing down the busy sidewalk, moving with that same unnatural speed, yet still managing to avoid the pedestrian traffic.

"Why did you hesitate, brother?" Chonrei asked. "You still managed to save Andy Bogard, but he was wounded. If you had moved at the same time I had, both of them would be all right."

"I was thinking about our plan," Chonshu explained. "Doesn't it seem like Terry Bogard is moving too slow with trying to locate Howard? I thought that perhaps if he lost someone close to him, that might strengthen his resolve to find that thief. Also, Andy's death might have done the same thing to the Riběn girl's resolve. Andy _is_ her lover."

Chonrei's brow furrowed with concern. "And what made you choose to save him?"

" _They_ convinced me it was the right thing to do," Chonshu said simply. "They told me that we cannot let what we have been through in our own lives deprive us of our compassion. Otherwise, we are no better than Geese Howard. Or the men who left us for dead."

The two of them turned off the main road into an alleyway. "I'm glad you chose to listen to them," Chonrei said after a long pause. "Because they are correct. But next time, you should not hesitate. If I tell you to do something, then you do it. Otherwise, we might not be as lucky as we were just now."

For a while, the two brothers fell silent. They scurried up a fire escape, then continued their rapid run across the rooftops of South Town. After a while, Chonshu said: "I'm hungry. Let's pass through the Chinese district and steal some dim sum before we return home."

Chonrei had a few concerns about his brother's behavior back at the stadium, but he simply nodded. "Very well. I'm also hungry."

* * *

 **South Town Police Department - 37th Precinct**

It was after dark by the time Terry Bogard managed to get to the station where Mary was being held, and take care of her bail. The two of them made their way down the sidewalk to where Mary's bike was parked, neither one of them speaking. Finally, Mary said: "I overheard some chatter while I was in my cell. Thankfully, it doesn't look like any civilians were killed. The bomb was designed to target the ring only. There were a ton of cuts, bruises, and concussions from spectators being struck by debris, but that was it. Five cops were too close to the ring when it went off. Three of them didn't make it, the other two are in ICU at South Town General. It's 50/50 on whether they'll pull through."

"I'm sorry," Terry said simply.

"It could have been a lot worse," said Mary. Then, she put her arm around Terry's waist, and added: "Thanks for coming to bail me out."

Terry shrugged, not seeming to notice her arm. "Hey, I owed you. If you hadn't stepped up, I'd have been the one taken away in cuffs. And anyway, you really should be thanking Joe. He's the one who fronted me the money for bail."

Mary stepped in front of Terry then, stopping him momentarily, and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Maybe I don't want to thank Joe," she said as she gazed up into his eyes. "Maybe I want to thank you."

For a moment, Terry was lost in the deep emerald pools of Mary's eyes, and despite the doubts that gnawed at him, he found himself moving his own arms around her, found himself bending down to press his lips to hers in a soft kiss.

But the moment passed all too quickly, and Terry remembered himself, remembered his dream, and forced himself to pull away. Mary noticed this, as well as the concern that etched the features on his face.

"Terry?" She asked. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Terry shook his head, let his arms drop to his sides. "I'm sorry," he said. "I told you, I can't think about us until this whole business with Geese Howard is settled."

Mary kept her arms around him for another moment. _Can't?_ She thought silently to herself. _Or won't?_ Then she asked him: "Terry, answer me honestly. Did you spend the night with me because you wanted to?"

"Yes, I wanted to," Terry told her firmly. Then he thought to himself: _But I can't tell you how much I've regretted that decision. Because I'm afraid that I'm still cursed. That I already let you get too close, past the point of no return, and now you're going to die because of that._

Mary looked at him for a long time, seeing the pain in his blue eyes, sensing that there was a "but" hidden in Terry's answer. Then she let her own arms drop to her sides. "Okay, Terry. Just remember that I actually understand what you've gone through. What you're probably still going through. When you finally are ready to talk about us, you know that I'm here."

 _You are today,_ thought Terry. _But will you be tomorrow?_

Mary could still see the unease lining Terry's face, so she gave him a playful tap on the chin with her fist. "Hey, I'm not going anywhere. You know what a cautious gal I am. Goes with my job. Just promise me _you_ won't go anywhere, either, okay?"

Terry forced himself to give a weak smile. "I promise," he said. Then, after a few moments, he added: "We should probably get back to the hotel. The others are waiting."

"Right," said Mary, and the two of them continued walking towards her bike. "I've got a good lead from my informant today," Mary continued. "I think we should follow up on it first thing in the morning. I'll share what I know after we meet up with Andy, Mai and Joe. And I'll probably be staying at that hotel myself. I stopped off at my apartment this morning for some fresh clothes, but I won't be sleeping there again until after we've dealt with Howard. So... do you mind if I crash in your room again?"

"Sorry," Terry answered. "But I... don't think we really should right now."

"I understand," said Mary. "I'll book my own room."

The two of them were silent for the rest of the trip back to the hotel. Mary drove while Terry sat behind her on the bike with his arms around her waist. Touching her was both ecstasy and torture, because as much as he loved the feel of her, he found he couldn't shake the images from his dream, images of Mary dead in his arms, just like all his past lovers.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the two of them, their kiss had not gone unseen. In the driver's seat of a black sedan parked on the side of the road across from the precinct, Hopper watched through a small pair of binoculars as Terry embraced the detective.

As soon as the two were out of sight, Hopper tossed the binoculars onto the empty passenger seat and started the car.

"The boss is gonna _love_ this," he said to himself as he pulled out into the street and drove in the direction of the nearest payphone.

* * *

 **South Town Plaza Hotel**

The window to their room was open slightly, letting in both the soothing night breeze and the noises of the city drifting up from the sidewalks below. Andy Bogard and Mai Shiranui snuggled above the covers of their bed, enjoying both each others' company and the feel of the breeze as it blew in through the cracks in the drawn curtains and dried the sweat on their skin. Their clothes were strewn haphazardly all over the floor of the room.

A few hours earlier, they and Joe had met with Terry and Mary. Mary had told them about a possible location for the tournament's sponsor, which they would be checking out as soon as it was light. After the excitement today, Andy and his girlfriend should probably have been resting. But Mai still insisted on keeping Andy awake just to make sure there was no long term damage from what he had been through. Not that Andy was complaining.

"So, how do I look?" Andy asked her.

"Sexy as hell," Mai said with a smirk as she ran a hand up and down the solid muscle of his abs. "But if you're asking about your health... I think it's safe to say you don't have a concussion. But we should probably do one more 'thorough exam' before you go to sleep... just to be sure."

Andy shrugged. "If you think that's best. I just... need a few minutes first."

Mai kissed his neck softly. "Take your time. I want to order us a snack before we do anything else. I don't know about you, but I worked up an appetite."

"I could eat something," said Andy.

Mai rose from the bed and slipped on her favorite pink cotton robe, then she moved over to the table where the room service menu sat. "Is there anything you're in the mood for?" She asked as she flipped through it. When she got no answer, she turned her gaze towards the bed, saw her boyfriend sitting there, propped on his pillow, staring in the direction of the open window with a pensive look on his face.

"Penny for your thoughts, Andy?" She asked him.

"Just thinking about what happened today," Andy said after minute. "You know that bomb was supposed to kill us, right, Mai?"

Mai put the menu down, crawled back onto the bed, and lay down next to Andy on her side, head propped up on her elbow. She reached over with her other hand, wrapped her fingers gently around Andy's bicep. "I know, Andy, but it didn't. We're both still alive."

"What I mean is," Andy explained. "It was meant for us, not Terry. Geese wanted Terry to see us die. It made me think back to our conversation last night, when I told you one of the reasons I thought Geese killed Lily. I think Geese is trying to make my brother suffer again by targeting everyone else Terry still cares about."

Mai's own expression grew pensive now. "But... why?" She asked.

"Terry is the one who actually defeated him three years ago. Geese lost an empire because of that. And even though he says Terry did him a favor by defeating Krauser, I think that a part of Geese is resentful that Terry stole his chance for revenge. But Geese would never admit that. Terry took everything from him, so now Geese is going to do the same to Terry. And after Geese has taken care of you, me, Joe, Mary, and anyone else Terry cares about, once Terry has nothing to lose, he'll stop at nothing to find Geese. But Geese also knows how much Terry's power has grown. Which is why he stole the Jin Scrolls. The man Terry and I met with yesterday said that they have the potential to make one stronger than a god. So if Geese has their power inside of him, he knows that Terry will be no match for him. He kills Terry, and then his revenge is complete."

Andy went silent then, and for a time, Mai was silent, as well. "Andy," she said after taking a deep breath. "It's... kinda scary just how much sense that makes. Are... are you going to tell Terry?"

"I feel like I should, but on the other hand, I can also name several reasons why I shouldn't. But I think he already knows." He turned to face Mai, then, his deep blue eyes ringed with worry. "You know that from this point on, things will get a lot more dangerous, Mai. For all of us."

"Andy, you're not still worrying about me, are you?"

"No," Andy said. Then, after a pause, he gently took Mai's hand in his own. "Well, that's not completely true. Mai, I know that you can take care of yourself. And I respect that you've made your decision to be here, fighting with us. But deep down, a small part of me is probably always going to worry, just because I love you. But I will try hard never to let that part of me come between us."

Despite the somber theory Andy had just shared, Mai couldn't help but smile at him. _It's amazing how far we've come,_ she thought. _I'm so proud of him._

"I understand, Andy," she said, then leaned over and kissed him. "And I love you, too." She squeezed his hand gently, then got up from the bed once more and resumed looking at the menu. After a few minutes, she asked: "Andy, what are jalapeno poppers?"

"Honestly," he said. "It would be better for you to find out for yourself. We'll get two orders." Andy then picked up the bedside phone and started to dial.

* * *

 **South Town Commerce Plaza (Formerly Known as Geese Tower)**

Inspector Bowers stepped off the elevator and glanced around nervously. The room was sparsely decorated, containing only a desk that used to belong to the receptionist. Billy Kane lounged behind the desk, his feet resting up on its polished surface, his staff balanced on his knees.

Billy couldn't help but smirk as he looked at the older man's face. Bowers's nose had finally stopped bleeding, but it had turned purple and swollen to the size of an egg. "Lookin' good, inspector," the blond fighter quipped. "In fact, I'd say it's an improvement over how you usually look."

Bowers pretended he had not heard, instead crossed over the room until he was standing directly on the other side of the desk. "Is he in there?" The inspector asked, indicating the large double-doors behind Billy.

Billy nodded casually, but made no move to get up to open the door for him. "Yup, and he's expectin' you. Go on in."

Annoyed, Bowers stepped around the desk, grabbed the ornate lever handle doorknob, and entered the office.

The lights were turned down low, with much of the illumination coming from the light pollution of South Town's night sky filtering in through the large picture window on the far end of the room. Geese Howard sat behind the desk in a black suit and red power tie, perfectly tailored for his muscular build. He regarded the inspector coldly with his fingers steepled in front of his face. "So nice of you to be punctual, inspector," he said with a hint of sarcasm just beneath the ice in his voice.

"Well, as you can imagine," Bowers said as he walked over and took one of the seats on the other side of the desk. "After what happened at the tournament, it was hard for me to just walk away at short notice. I have more responsibilities, since I was promoted back to inspector."

"And who do you have to thank for that promotion?" Geese asked, his hard eyes unblinking. He picked up a crystal rocks glass filled with scotch that rested atop a coaster on the desk's surface and took a small sip. "The bar is over there, if you want a drink," he added, indicating a large niche in the wall on his right, which appeared to be well-stocked with several different spirits as well as different types of glasses.

Bowers shook his head. "I'm technically still on duty," he said.

"Hm," Geese said with a small nod. "But for how much longer, I wonder?"

The inspector gulped a little, tried to stay calm, but he couldn't stop a few beads of sweat from breaking out across his forehead. "What... what do you mean?"

Geese took another sip from his glass, then set it back down and leaned forward slightly across the desk. "Well, if you recall our conversation from this morning, I said I would hold you responsible if things did not go as planned today. Andy Bogard and his ninja squeeze are still alive. Terry Bogard did not see them die, as he was supposed to. I would say that counts as a deviation from the plan."

More sweat was gathering on his face, and Bowers no longer tried to hide it. He pulled a cotton handkerchief from his pocket and mopped at the perspiration on his brow. "Well, I d-don't really think it's … f-fair to..."

"Mr. Ripper's bomb obviously worked," Geese went on. "Billy and the men that he paid to help him were able to stop Terry and his friends from getting to that bomb in time. So Andy and Mai _should_ both be dead. They're not. Tell me... who _is_ to blame here?"

"Those... two boys you met yesterday," Bowers said quickly. "Jin Chonrei and Jin Chonshu. They interfered at the last second."

Geese did not flinch. "Billy told you about them when he got to the pavilion, didn't he?"

"He... mentioned them, yes."

"So I assume you had men watching them?"

Bowers gulped again as a fresh wave of sweat broke out on his brow. "Based on what Billy told me, I... didn't think it was necessary. They didn't seem like they were allies of Terry Bogard."

Geese stood up suddenly and pounded the desk with his fist, cracking the finished wood slightly. " _Well, they're clearly not OUR allies!"_ He thundered. " _Which makes them our enemies! You should have taken them into account!"_

The inspector had gone white as a sheet. At first, all he could do was stare at the spiderweb crack in the desk's surface. Then, he managed to get out: "Well, as you... um, know, Mr. Howard, after you, _ahem_ , 'died' a few years ago, the South Town Police Department... was, um, completely restructured. I'd like to remind you that there... are very few men on the force... still loyal to you. I might be one of the only ones left. So, I... um, can still be useful to you."

"For now, anyway," Geese countered, his expression neutral, which only made him look more deadly. "You'll remember that the commissioner's job just became available. And after what happened at the tournament today, you've had a few more spots open up in the department. I've already had a chat with the mayor about who I'd like to see fill each of those spots. Soon, you won't be as indispensable as you'd like to think you are."

Bowers wanted to gulp again, but found that his spit had gone dry. Fortunately, they were interrupted a few seconds later by a knock at the door.

"This meeting isn't over yet, Billy," Geese Howard growled.

The door opened slightly, and Billy Kane peeked his head through. "Sorry to interrupt, sir, but Hopper is on the line. He said his orders were to notify you the second he saw an opportunity."

Geese blew a large breath out through his nostrils. "Put him through, then." The door shut, and a moment later, Geese picked up the phone on his desk. "Mr. Hopper, you have something for me?" A pause as the man on the other end spoke. Then Geese's expression changed in an instant, a smile tugging at the edges of his mouth. "You're certain of this? Hmmm, I see... and you weren't spotted?... Excellent work... No, don't move on it yet. Continue to monitor, for now. I'll let you know when the time is right."

Geese hung up the phone and sat back down in his seat, looking more pleased than he had a few minutes ago. "The good news, inspector, is that we may yet recover from your debacle. I've just learned that the Lone Wolf was foolish enough to fall for another woman."

Bowers, though still on edge, allowed himself to relax just a little, as well. "You mean Mary Ryan?" He asked. "Yeah, she works for me. Or used to. She's currently suspended, under investigation for suspicion of filing a false report. I knew that she and Terry Bogard had gotten close, though she denies it."

Instantly, the smile was gone from Geese Howard's face, and he was on his feet again. "You _knew_ about her already?" He shouted across the desk. "When were you planning on informing me?"

"We... we already had the bomb plan in motion," Bowers stammered. "I didn't... think that Mary was relevant at the time."

Geese reached over, lifted the inspector bodily over the desk with one hand, and started towards the window, his hand gripping the collar of Bowers's trench coat, leaving the inspector struggling in midair. When they reached the window, Geese slammed Bowers up against it. "Are you blind, inspector, or just completely incompetent?" He snarled as Bowers squirmed in his grip like a worm on a fish hook. "You were first on the scene the night that Lily McGuire died. You helped take down and dispose of the ladder. You altered the coroner's report to list the cause of death as 'suicide.' If Terry Bogard has fallen for another woman, how could you _NOT_ think that's relevant?"

Bowers opened and closed his mouth convulsively, but the terror he felt prevented him from forming words.

Geese raised his other hand menacingly, his palm glowing with chi energy. "You were already hanging by a thread, inspector. Tell me why I shouldn't cut that thread, and just end you here and now?"

"The... the detective," Bowers managed to finally say. "Terry Bogard's new love interest... I can... I can help you get her!"

"And what makes you think we need your help?"

The words started tumbling out of Bowers more rapidly now. "Because I know her better than you, I have an idea of how her mind works. She's the best cop on the force, extremely cautious, not easy to fool. She might be able to sense if you're setting up a trap for her, but I can help you set one up that she won't suspect. I just need help accessing the computer in her office, and getting into her encrypted files."

After a few seconds that seemed to drag like hours, Geese lowered his hand, the energy glow fading, and set the inspector down. "Mr. Ripper will assist you," he said. "But be warned, if you fail me just one more time, we'll see if you can fly better than Lily could. Now get out of my sight!"

The inspector all but ran from the office. Geese Howard gazed out the picture window, looking at the marble courtyard far below, and soon he saw the faint shape of Bowers emerging from the building and running towards his car. Geese walked back to the desk and took another sip of scotch.

"After what happened to Lily," Geese said out loud to himself with a cold grin on his face. "You really should have known better than to reveal your weaknesses to your enemies, Terry. But that's all right. We're more than willing to give you a painful reminder..."

To be continued...

ADDITIONAL NOTE: Just in case anyone was curious, GCS means Glasgow Coma Scale. It's usually used to determine how responsive someone is at the scene of an accident. Fifteen is the best score you can get (which means you have no brain injuries), zero is the worst (you're either dead or in a coma). As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a review. I thirst for them!


	16. Chapter 15

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games or the anime. "Porch" is written by Eddie Vedder, and is copyright Epic Records. I'm posting this fic for free, and make no money off of it.

* * *

 _Chapter Fifteen – Counter-Moves_

Jin Chonrei stood over the body of his brother, arms raised in a defensive stance against the half-dozen men still surrounding them. His coal-black eyes flicked briefly down to Chonshu, who lay face-down in the dirt, his scalp matted with dark blood from where the bottle had shattered against his skull. Chonshu was bleeding from a dozen other wounds as well, and although Chonrei could still see the tell-tale signs of his twin's chest rising and falling with labored breaths, he knew he needed to get Chonshu help.

But the chances of that were slim. Chonrei himself was bleeding rather profusely from a wound in his shoulder. His sleeve was torn, and the dark-haired boy could see the blood trickling steadily down his arm to drip onto the dry, dusty ground.

The attack came suddenly, from three different directions. Chonrei ducked the knife swing from the man in front of him, countered by slamming his palm into his assailant's groin. The man screamed shrilly, and fell to the ground, doubled up like a jackknife.

Chonrei then turned to face the other two, and though he was quick enough to stop one of their knives from plunging into his heart, Chonrei still sliced open the palm of his right hand as he swatted the weapon away. He ignored the stinging pain, and followed up immediately with a kick that his older attacker dodged. The third attacker took advantage of that to slip forward and ram his knife into Chonrei's belly.

A fiery pain unlike anything the dark-haired boy had ever felt before lanced up and down through his whole being. The man pulled his switchblade loose, and Chonrei collapsed to his knees alongside his brother, putting both hands over the wound in an effort to staunch the flow of blood. His assailants then put their knives away, and spent the next several minutes working the boy over with their fists and feet. Finally, Chonrei was sprawled on the ground alongside Chonshu, an even bloodier mess than his brother.

"I'd say that's enough," one of the thugs said to his associates, speaking in Mandarin. "They're as good as dead at this point."

"Right," another one said with a nod, and spit on the two brothers. "Maybe in their next life, they'll know better than to steal food from an establishment that pays tribute to the Triad."

"Maggots," another thug said, and kicked their bodies contemptuously. The gang then stalked off, leaving the two brothers to bleed to death.

Chonrei was on his back, both hands still trying to cover his belly wound. As he felt the life slipping from him, he suddenly saw a wisp of brilliant white light descending towards him. At first, he thought he was dying, heading towards that light that some people who came close to death had claimed to see. But the wisp seemed to be hovering overhead instead of moving closer. And it was being joined by several others, each floating distinct and separate from its counterparts.

When there was a small swarm of them, the wisps of light finally descended upon Chonrei and Chonshu, and to the dark-haired boy, it felt like they were entering him and his brother, not merely passing through them. But becoming a part of them.

 _It is not your time yet_ , spoke a voice inside of Chonrei's mind. _You and your brother are the descendants of legends, and you are destined for something far greater than this ignoble end._

 _Descendants of legends?_ Chonrei asked the voice silently. _What do you mean?_

 _You shall see,_ said the voice. _But first... this is going to hurt a lot. But it is less painful than the alternative. Try to hold still._

Chonrei's vision suddenly turned red as a pain even greater than the knife wound he'd received shook him to his very core...

* * *

Jin Chonrei's eyes opened slowly, and he sat up on his cot. For a moment, he sat there, running his fingers across the scars on his torso, then he looked up and saw that Chonshu was already awake.

"You were talking in your sleep," said the brown-haired teen. "Did you have that dream again?"

Chonrei gave a grim nod. "I seem to be having it more often, of late."

"As am I," said Chonshu. He looked like he had other concerns, but he simply shook his head and asked: "Is the plan still the same as yesterday?"

"It is," said Chonrei. "We follow the Lone Wolf and his friends, and hope that they lead us to Howard."

Chonshu rose from his cot, and went over to the sink to perform his morning ablutions. "Eventually, they will realize they are being followed."

"Probably," Chonrei agreed. "But we shall cross that bridge when we come to it."

* * *

The coupe pulled off the main road into a parking lot that had obviously seen better days. The painted white lines to denote parking spaces were almost completely faded, and every inch of the sun-baked asphalt surface was marred by cracks that crisscrossed the entire length of the lot. Here and there, some weeds could be seen growing upwards through those cracks.

The car came to a stop, and it was apparent that the driver was not even trying to park inside the lines of a space. Not that it mattered, as the place was obviously deserted. A few seconds later, the driver's side door opened, and Joe Higashi emerged. He pulled his sunglasses off and slipped them into a pocket on his cargo pants as he glanced around the lot, looking unimpressed. "Yeah, if I were a crime-lord, I'd definitely be hiding here," he remarked sarcastically.

The other doors on the car opened, and Terry Bogard emerged from the front passenger seat, while Andy Bogard and Mai Shiranui got out of the back. A few moments later, a familiar red motorcycle pulled up alongside the car. Mary Ryan put the bike's kickstand down, and then took off her helmet.

After waking up at dawn, Terry and his friends had rented a car to make getting around easier as they followed up on Mary's leads. Terry had acquired a new bike since losing his first one in Germany while searching for the Armor of Mars, but it was far too small for four people. Mary had chosen to follow them on her own bike, saying there was no way in hell she was going to be stuck in a back seat with Mai and her boyfriend.

They were just past the city limits of South Town, at the address that Mary's informant had given her. Aside from the neglected parking lot, the only other thing of note was the even more dilapidated building that loomed in front of them. The outer walls appeared to be corrugated iron which was starting to show patches of rust. It looked like it had been abandoned for some time.

Mary stepped off the bike and walked over to the other four, though her green eyes continued to scan their surroundings. She hadn't heard Joe's remark, but she could tell by the look on his face, as well as the looks the others wore, that they were probably questioning her informant.

"Shall we?" Mary asked the four of them, and started across the sun-faded asphalt towards the building, her boots crunching on the weeds and gravel.

"What do you think?" Andy asked his brother in a low voice.

"I think it's a dead end," said Terry. "But we should probably check it out anyway." He then started after Mary, double-timing his pace in order to catch up with her. After glancing at one another for a moment, Andy, Mai and Joe began walking towards the building as well.

There appeared to be only one entrance, a large pair of double doors with a chain wrapped around their handles, held in place with a padlock. The chain itself was extremely rusted, and broke rather easily with a single, chi-enhanced blow from Terry's fist. Once they were inside, Mary opened the power box that rested in the wall by the door and flicked the switches. Incredibly, the lights overhead came on.

The inside of the building turned out to be just as shoddy as the outside, if not more. It was empty, save for the garbage piled in the corners (no doubt left by vagrants who had squatted here, judging by the smell that hung in the air), and also an old desk in the center of the room with about an inch of dust on its surface.

"God, it stinks in here," Mai remarked, trying not to gag.

"How well do you know this informant of yours?" Terry asked the detective.

"That's irrelevant," Mary said with a frown. "The only thing that matters is that I have a good working relationship with him. Typically, he gives me something, and I use what he gives me to find more information. So I wasn't expecting him to know exactly where Geese Howard was. But I think this is a good start."

"Clearly, we have very different opinions of what's good," said Joe.

Mary blew out an exasperated breath. "Use your brain, Higashi. Did you happen to notice that the lights work? This place is a dump, but someone is still paying utilities for it. Most likely, the name on the lease for this warehouse is a shell corporation."

"So it's owned by someone who wants to be anonymous?" Andy asked her.

"Exactly," said Mary.

"You seem to have the most experience here, Mary," Terry told her. "So what do we do now?"

Mary nodded to the old desk that sat rather conspicuously on the grimy concrete flooring in front of them. "Search the desk. Maybe we can find something in there that tells us who owns this building."

"Assuming squatters haven't already used what's in there as toilet paper," quipped Joe. The other four ignored him and made their way over to the desk.

The drawers were locked, but Mai managed to prise them open with her fan. They didn't find many documents inside, only some business receipts that had the name TOP TIER PACKAGING listed on them, along with the address for the building.

Mary slipped one of the receipts in the pocket of her jacket, and started towards the door. "It's unlikely we'll find anything else here," she told the others. "But now we have a new lead."

Once they were back outside, Terry asked her what the game plan was.

"I'll head down to the station, and see if I can find anything in the records archives connected to this name and address," Mary told him.

Terry nodded at her. "Do you need any of us to come along?"

"Nah." Mary climbed onto her bike and slipped her helmet back on. "I'm technically not supposed to be there, and one person can sneak around easier than five. I'll meet up with you guys later."

"Okay." Terry was about to tell her to be careful, but then thought better of it. Mary started up her bike, did a small donut, and then raced off, the rear tire kicking up a cloud of sand in her wake.

Terry's blue eyes lingered on the road until Mary had faded from sight. The other three kept silent. Finally, Andy asked: "So, where to now?"

Terry turned towards the car, opened the door. "Now, we head back to base camp... and we wait."

* * *

 **South Town Commerce Plaza**

Billy Kane knocked on the office door, and a moment later, heard Geese Howard's voice on the other end, telling him to enter. Billy opened the door, and found his boss standing behind the desk wearing a blood-red hakama with no shirt. Geese had just finished his exercises, and was dabbing at the sweat on his face and neck with a towel.

When Geese saw Billy, he draped the towel over his shoulder and nodded at his subordinate. "Report," he said simply.

"The boys at R and D just sent word," Billy said. "The translation for the mantra of summoning will be finished by tonight."

A cold smile crept across Geese Howard's face. "Very good. Is Mr. Ripper with you?"

"He's here. He and the inspector finished their little errand."

The smile grew wider, and colder still. "Excellent. I have a task for the both of you."

After Billy had been given his orders and left to tell Ripper, Geese Howard picked up a small radio sitting next to his phone and switched it on. "Mr. Hopper?"

A bust of static on the other end. Then: "Sir?"

"It will soon be time to move on that little opportunity you discovered. Keep this channel open."

"Yes, sir," Hopper said.

Geese placed the radio down, then picked the phone up and started to dial.

The line rang twice. Then there was a click and he heard the man on the other end say: "South Town Police Department, this is Bowers."

"Inspector," Geese growled, the smile fading from his face. "I trust that Mr. Ripper was able to help you find what you needed. And I also trust that it is something we can use. Your life depends on it."

There was a moment of silence on the other end, and what sounded like a gulp. Then, the inspector slowly said: "Don't worry, sir. We can use it."

"You can arrange a trap for Detective Ryan, then?"

The voice at the other end suddenly became a lot more smug. "It will be my pleasure, sir."

"Good. We're moving on this tonight. Stay close to your phone." Geese hung up, made his way over to the bar, and poured himself a tall glass of mineral water. "All the pieces are moving into place," he said as he crossed the office with his drink to gaze out the window.

* * *

 **South Town Police Department - 37th Precinct**

Mary Ryan entered the building through the west side instead of the east side, which was as far from her office and Inspector Bowers's office as she could manage. She had walked to the precinct after parking her bike six blocks away. After all, it would be best if few people as possible were alerted to her presence.

The cops that she passed in the hallways didn't seem surprised to see her, but she still walked with confidence, striding down the corridor like she belonged there. Unfortunately, she saw a familiar face when she rounded the corner. "Ryan!" Sergeant Hudson said, his brow raised in surprise. "I thought Bowers suspended you."

"You thought right," Mary told him with a tiny smirk. "Thing is, I just tore my apartment up looking for my TV remote, and it's disappeared. I think maybe I left it in my office."

Hudson's brow was still raised, but was now crinkled in confusion. "What would it be doing there?"

Mary shrugged. "Maybe because I stuck it in my pocket one day before leaving for work, and then I never noticed it was gone, because I've been so busy since the mayor's proclamation I haven't had time to watch TV."

The lines in Hudson's brow slowly vanished, and then he nodded. "Well, good luck finding it."

"Thanks. Tell Trish I said hi." Mary then continued up the hallway, leaving a confused Hudson standing there staring after her, as it was not like the detective to wish anyone well.

She was almost at records when she passed an officer with a large purple bruise around his left eye, whom she recognized as the man that had been tailing her the other night. "Good to see you again, Crenshaw," she said with a nod. "I'd tell you to put a steak on that, but it would be a crime to waste a good cut of beef on your ugly mug."

Crenshaw ignored her jibe, and simply said: "Aren't you suspended, Ryan?"

"Yeah," said Mary. "And I just tore up my apartment looking for my favorite novel, and I can't seem to find it. I think I left it in my office. By the way, who did you tell them did that to you?"

Crenshaw's face turned beet red, and he finally growled: "I told them I never saw the attacker's face, but it was probably someone in town for the tournament, looking for practice."

"Hm. Surprisingly creative. Well, see ya." She then continued up the hallway before Crenshaw could say anything else.

Eventually, the blond woman came to a door with the word RECORDS in black letters on the frosted glass pane above the knob. After casting a quick glance around to make sure no one else was watching, Mary opened the door just wide enough to get through and slipped inside, shutting the door silently behind her.

The lights were off, and instead of drawing attention to herself by turning them on, Mary pulled a cigarette lighter from the pocket of her jacket and flicked it on. She made her way down a seemingly endless aisle of filing cabinets until she came to the center of the room, where there stood a desk housing a computer. Mary turned the lighter off and cast a quick glance in all directions, then sat down at the desk, booted up the computer, and pulled the receipt from her pocket.

"Okay, computer," she whispered to herself. "Let's see if you have anything juicy on Top Tier Packaging..."

* * *

 _Several hours later..._

 **The Pao Pao Cafe**

It was close to dusk, and Mary still hadn't come back from her errand. So Terry, Andy, Joe, and Mai had decided to go out and eat. They had found out, to their surprise and delight, that Richard Meyer's place was less than five minutes away from the hotel.

Terry Bogard glanced around the dimly lit cafe, which seemed much busier than it had been the last time he was here. Almost every table was full now, and also, it looked like Richard had finally fixed the jukebox, which was playing some different songs.

From his place behind the bar, Richard Meyer spotted them and quickly made his way over to their table. "Glad you all could come," he said as he shook hands with Terry, Andy, and Joe. When he came to Mai, his hand wavered for a moment. "I apologize, miss. I saw you with Andy that night at Duck's club, but I didn't get your name."

Mai smiled, and held out her hand, which Richard shook. "Mai Shiranui," she said. "I'm Andy's girlfriend. It's nice to finally meet you. Andy's told me a lot about this place."

"Only good things, I hope," Richard said with a chuckle. Then he grew more serious for a moment. "I am glad to see the four of you are all right. I heard what happened at the tournament yesterday."

Terry nodded grimly. After a moment, Andy said: "I'm surprised we didn't see you there, Richard."

"Well, I've been busy," the bearded man explained. "Ever since the mayor announced the tournament, business has picked up a lot, what with all the fighters flocking to South Town. I could finally afford a new jukebox, as I'm sure you've heard. And I've also been able to hire some help." He turned his head back towards the bar and shouted: "Hey, Bob!"

From behind the bar, a cheerful-looking dark skinned man with dreadlocks, who appeared to be about nineteen or twenty, and who was also dressed the same as Richard, in a white button-down shirt, bow tie, black slacks, and dark purple apron, bowed his head slightly. "Yes, maestre?" He called back.

Richard motioned to him with his hand. "Come on over! I want you to meet some friends of mine."

The youth made his way over to their table, and stepped up alongside Richard, who clapped his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Bob Wilson, I'd like you to meet Terry and Andy Bogard."

The way Bob's mouth came open, it was obvious he knew of their reputation. "It's an honor to meet you," he said as he shook both their hands.

After Richard had also introduced Bob to Joe and Mai, Terry pointed out: "Richard, Bob called you 'maestre' a minute ago. Does that mean...?"

Richard nodded. "That's another reason I was too busy to enter the tournament this year," he explained. "I've taken Bob on as a student. He's a great dancer, has been ever since he was a kid, and he's blended it well with his study of Capoeira. He shows a lot of promise."

"You're too kind, maestre," Bob said with a nervous laugh.

"No, I'm not," said Richard. "I only give credit where it's due. If you keep to your studies the way you have been so far, you'll probably give the Bogards a run for their money at the next tournament."

Despite his mood, Terry couldn't help but grin. "I'll look forward to that," he said.

"Bob is also a pretty good cook," Richard went on. "He's added some new items to the menu that are selling really well. But I'll let him go over that with you. I need to get back behind the bar before people start stealing drinks. Take good care of my friends, will you, Bob?"

"Of course, maestre," Bob said with a nod. "Any friend of yours is a friend of mine."

Richard nodded politely to them, and then turned and started making his way back towards the bar.

Terry glanced over the entrees on his menu, and then something caught his eye. He turned the menu towards Bob, and pointed at an entree called BURN KNUCKLE. "Bob... is this named after me?" He asked.

The expression on Bob's face as he spoke suggested that when the cheerful man woke up this morning, he never imagined he'd be talking with Terry Bogard. "Yes, Mr. Bogard, sir," he said. "I hope you don't mind. I'm a huge admirer of the Lone Wolf."

Terry laughed. "Please, call me Terry. And it's okay. Honestly, I think having food named after me is way more flattering than something like a statue. What's on it?"

"Well," said Bob. "It's an eight ounce grilled burger, topped with American cheese, bacon, diced jalapenos, a slice of pineapple, and a spicy relish which is my own secret recipe."

"That actually sounds pretty good," said Terry. "I think I'll try one. Medium well, please, with a glass of Budweiser."

"Good choice, Terry!" Bob said as he jotted it down on his pad. Then, he turned to Mai. "And for you, ma'am?"

Mai couldn't help but laugh. People had told her before that she had a cheerfulness that seemed to be infectious, rubbing off on everyone around her. Bob Wilson seemed to have this quality as well. "Please, Bob, call me Mai," she said. "'Ma'am' makes me sound old. And it's probably too much to hope that you have sake here."

"Actually," said Bob. "Most of our customers are fighters who come from all over the world, so my maestre tries to cater to all sorts of tastes. I think I saw a bottle of plum sake chilling behind the bar."

Mai's eyes lit up. "This just became my new favorite place in South Town. I'll have a glass of that, and the seafood stir fry, please."

Andy then ordered a burger, as well, while Joe ordered an alligator tail sandwich. As they waited for the food, Mai was being her usual self around Andy, while Joe kept making wisecracks about how gross the two of them were being. Terry was uncharacteristically quiet, and instead kept his gaze fixed on the front door of the cafe. Even after their food was brought out, Terry did not pay full attention to his plate, as he normally would have.

He was halfway through his burger (which he thought was excellent) when Andy asked him what was wrong, even though the younger Bogard already knew the answer. "I feel like Mary should have been here by now," Terry said.

At the mention of the detective, Mai and Joe ceased their usual banter. "She knew we were gonna be here, right?" Joe asked him.

"Yeah," said Terry. "I slipped a note under the door of her room. But it's still been about eight hours since she left us at that parking lot."

"She may have just had a lot of records to look through," Mai said, and then sipped her drink.

"She fought pretty well with us yesterday, Terry," Joe added. "I think she can take care of herself."

"Right," Terry said with a nod as he turned back to his food, but his tone of voice suggested to the other three he was not convinced. He hadn't told any of them about his dream, and right now, he didn't see the need to.

Thankfully, Mary entered the cafe a few minutes later, and made her way over to their table. "Meyer got a new jukebox," was the first thing she said when she reached them. "It's still not playing anything good, though." Her green eyes flicked briefly over to the box against the wall, and she frowned at the song that was coming out of it:

 _Hear my name, take a good look  
This could be the day  
Hold my hand, lie beside me  
I just need to say  
I could not take, oh just one day  
I know when I would not ever touch you  
Hold you, feel you in my arms _

_Never again_

"I kind of like it," said Mai. "The lyrics are depressing, but the guitar is pretty good. Do you know who this is, Andy?"

"No," said Andy. "You know that I prefer silence to music."

"So, anyway," said Terry. "Did you want to pull up a seat and join us? We'd be interested to know if you have any new leads."

Mary shook her head. "Sadly, I can't stay. The front desk at the hotel told me I'd gotten a call while I was out. It was one of my informant's numbers. I called him back and he wants to see me again, as soon as possible. Sounded pretty urgent. So I'll have to share my leads when I get back."

Though Mary's expression was neutral, Terry got the sense that her mind was running on all cylinders. "Is everything okay?" Terry asked.

"I think so," said Mary. "It's unusual for him to work so fast. I mean, he's done it before, but..."

"Need us to come with you?"

"You can't," Mary explained. "I have an arrangement with this guy. He won't speak to me if I don't come alone." She brought her finger to her lips and stood there for a moment, as if deep in thought. Then she took off her green jacket and held it out to Terry. "Here, Terry, look after this for me, will you?"

Terry stared at her for a moment, but the expression on Mary's face was dead serious. So finally, he accepted the jacket and draped it carefully across his lap. "You're sure everything is okay?" He asked her again.

Mary nodded. "Yeah. Don't worry, I'll pick it up from you later. This shouldn't take long. I'll call when I'm back at the hotel." With that, she turned and left the cafe.

A few minutes later, Terry ate the last few bites of his burger, then dropped some money on the table and said he was going back to his room to wait to hear from Mary. He then got up and left, carrying her jacket with him.

Not long after that, Mai finished her drink, and said to her boyfriend: "Well, Andy, I don't know about you, but I'm bushed. Shall we turn in?"

"Um, no, Mai, I'm really not..." He started to say, and then he saw her wink at him, so instead he stopped talking and gave her a knowing nod. "Um, I mean, yeah. We probably should."

Mai leaned towards her boyfriend then, whispered in his ear: "Just give me some time to get ready. Wait fifteen minutes, then meet me in our room." Mai flicked her tongue across the bottom of Andy's earlobe, and then left the table.

"Think she'll be okay?" Joe asked him.

"I think so," said Andy, his gaze lingering on Mai as she stepped out onto the sidewalk. "The hotel is less than five minutes away, and she can take care of herself."

Joe nodded, tilted his beer glass in the direction of Andy. "Good man," he said. As their glasses clinked together, the kick-boxer made a face when he saw the contents of Andy's glass. "Do you at least have time for a real drink before you have to go?"

"No thanks," said Andy. "I'll just stick with water."

"Man, you're still such a square even after losing your cherry," Joe said with a laugh, then he drained the rest of his beer, and motioned to Richard Meyer for another.

Andy rolled his eyes. Fifteen minutes could not be up fast enough.

* * *

The street outside was almost deserted, but at first Mai did not notice as the black car pulled up alongside her on the curb, and slowed down to match her walking speed. She was too busy thinking about what she wanted to wear for her man. She had amassed a whole drawer full of lingerie since she and Andy had started dating, and had tossed a few lacy items in her bags before they had left the dojo, even though she had not been expecting her and Andy to finally consummate their relationship on this trip. Now she was pleasantly surprised that she could actually begin wearing the items she had been collecting.

Mai finally noticed the car when she heard the metallic whir of the power window being lowered. "Offer you a ride, little lady?" She heard a voice ask, nonchalant enough to border on sleazy.

"No thanks," Mai said without a glance in his direction. "I'm not walking far."

"But a pretty young thing like you could still get hurt at this hour," the voice persisted. "Even if you're not going far."

Now Mai stopped and turned to face the car that was following her. "Look, jackass, you might want to think twice before you proposition a ninja!" She snapped. Then she saw the figure sitting in the driver's seat through the car's open window, and gasped.

"Wait, I know you!" She said to the dark haired man in sunglasses. "Andy told me about you!" She broke into a run, though the car did not move to try and catch up to her, and she quickly ducked down the first alley she saw. If memory served, the hotel should be in sight after she got to the other side of this alleyway.

As her brown eyes grew accustomed to the dimness, however, she saw a lean, yet well-muscled man in a familiar sleeveless shirt and faded jeans standing impassively about a hundred yards in front of her, both hands gripping a staff.

"Goin' somewhere, cutie?" Billy Kane asked her with a wicked grin.

"As a matter of fact, I am," answered Mai, unflinching. "I have plans with my boyfriend, so I don't really have time to hurt you again."

"Aw, don't be like that, love! I thought we had somethin' the other day."

Mai snorted. "Please! I only flirted with you because Andy and I were fighting. We've made up since then, and he's told me who you are and what you did, so now I think you're a big jerk. Get out of my way!"

"Sorry, love," said Billy as he started towards her, expertly moving his staff back and forth from one hand to the other. "But the boss gave orders."

Mai rolled her eyes. "Okay, then, if it's another ass-kicking you want..." She then whipped off her dress, and in a blur of fabric, was suddenly wearing her kunoichi uniform. "...I'm happy to give it to you!"

Billy started to twirl his staff over his head. "Now I'll pay you back fer that beauty mark you gave me."

"Ka-chou-sen!" Mai launched two fans at Billy, who swatted them aside with his staff. As he was striking them, she took the opportunity to flip over his head, and after landing on the other side of him she delivered a kick to the center of his back. Billy fell forward but regained his feet with a somersault, then turned to face her. He lunged with his staff, but Mai had already pulled another fan out of her gi, and started using it to parry Billy's thrusts. Though he was not landing any blows, Mai saw that his attack was driving her back towards a wall. She did a quick back flip, planted her feet against the wall, and launched at Billy elbow first with her Deadly Ninja Bee attack. Billy sidestepped it, but as Mai hit the ground, she tripped him with a leg sweep, knocking him on his backside.

Billy made a long arm with his staff and tried to trip Mai, and the ninja girl dodged backwards, which gave Billy a chance to regain his feet. He tried again with his staff, thrusting high and then low, but Mai knocked both attacks to the side with her fan.

His attacks became more aggressive then, sweeping his staff rapidly high and low as he attempted to once more drive her back against the wall. Mai edged backwards until she could edge no further, then leaped straight up and flipped towards the ground in the direction of Billy's head. "Houou no mai!" She shouted as psychokinetic energy surrounded her in a bright pinwheel of flames. The attack knocked Billy into the wall he'd been trying to back Mai into, and the buxom ninja girl finished her move by landing gracefully on the concrete facing her opponent.

"Are we done here?" Mai asked him. "Because I have something I need to get ready for, and now I'm running late."

Billy got to his feet and swung wildly with his staff, the weapon catching Mai in her side and sending her sprawling. She did a quick handspring to her feet, but her opponent was still pressing the attack, causing her to do a series of leaps backwards to avoid him. She then jumped towards him with her fan raised. Billy launched himself skyward as well, his staff becoming enveloped in psychokinetic fire. As the two met in midair, he swung out with his staff just as Mai swung downwards with her fan. The flaming tip of Billy's staff snapped Mai's weapon in half, and the ninja girl needed to twist her body in midair to avoid a deadly strike, but the staff still grazed her. Mai hit the ground rolling, and in the middle of her roll she launched another fan in Billy's direction, hitting him in the back as he was landing.

They both rose a little unsteadily to their feet, and Billy turned to face Mai. He flashed the kunoichi a wicked grin as he twirled his staff expertly. "Gettin' nervous, pet?" He asked Mai.

Mai laughed, pulled out a new fan, opened it and began to flap it daintily in front of her face, smirking at Billy from behind its folds. "Please, if anyone is cracking, it's you. I'm just getting warmed up."

Billy stopped twirling his staff then, and took a step back. "Yer about to get a lot warmer!"

Mai raised an eyebrow in confusion, but before she could ask what he meant, she felt something pinch her lower back through the fabric of her gi. A second later, her entire body was wracked by searing pain as a strong electrical current jolted through her. She whipped blindly behind her with her fan, felt it catch on something that dangled from her outfit. She turned, and saw the probes of a taser clatter onto the floor of the alleyway.

Her gaze followed the path of the probe's wires, and through her rapidly blurring vision, she saw a figure standing in a dark corner of the alleyway. Her limbs felt like they were full of cement, but still she tried to move towards the figure. Before she could take a single step, however, she heard a pop, saw a second taser probe fly from the shadows and latch on to one of the straps of fabric on the front of her gi. Mai screamed in pain as another powerful current surged through the probe, jolting her down to her core. The fan slipped from her fingers and clattered to the ground. She sank to her knees, head spinning, her world starting to go dark.

"Did you just... taser me in the tit?" She managed to ask the shadow. "You... asshole..." She then pitched forward to the cold, damp concrete, suddenly finding that not just her limbs, but her entire body felt very heavy. _Sorry, Andy,_ she managed to think before everything went black and silent.

The dark haired man who had been wielding the taser emerged from the shadows, crouched by Mai Shiranui's unconscious body, and after checking her neck and finding a pulse, he yanked the taser probe loose from Mai's gi.

Billy Kane gave the man an annoyed look. "Took ya long enough, Ripper," he growled.

Ripper shrugged. "Hey, you two looked like you were having fun. Didn't want to spoil it."

Billy slung his staff over one shoulder, then bent down, scooped up Mai's limp form, and slung her over his other shoulder. "Just get the car before someone sees us."

Ripper nodded, and started back the way he had come in. A few minutes later, Billy and Ripper were driving back towards home base with Mai Shiranui stashed in their trunk, her wrists, ankles and mouth bound with duct tape.

* * *

Mary Ryan cast a quick look around as she parked her motorcycle outside the abandoned warehouse. She was deep in South Town's industrial district, in an area that had been largely unused even back during Geese Howard's glory days. She saw nothing except the ghosts of old buildings and machinery. There were no other cars parked outside, but it was not uncommon for her informant to travel on foot.

She removed her helmet and placed it between the bike's handlebars, then she got off, popped open the storage bin hooked to the rear of the bike's seat, and pulled out a small brown bag containing a Cuban sandwich wrapped in foil, and some fried plantains.

She entered the warehouse with the bag, and after her eyes adjusted to the dimness, she spotted a man standing at the far end of the room, partially illuminated by the city lights filtering in through the high, latticed window on the wall behind him. He was about fifty, completely bald, dressed in jeans and a brown leather jacket.

Mary nodded at the man, and started towards him, the footfalls of her boots on the concrete echoing in the warehouse's vast empty space. "I didn't expect to hear from you again so soon, Nate," she said as she got close to him. "You're usually a bit more meticulous with your work." She shrugged, and then held the bag of food out to him. "Well, anyway, I brought you your usual. So what have you got for me?"

Mary was close enough now to see that Nate was visibly sweating. He made no movement to come forward and take the bag. "I'm sorry, Ryan," he said. "I had to set this up. I don't know how, but they found out where my daughter was living. They threatened to send someone to her house."

Mary felt a sudden chill in the pit of her stomach. "What are you talking about, Nate? Your personal info is locked in my computer. Those files are double encrypted. I change the passwords every other week. No one should know anything about you."

The man gave a nervous chuckle. "I know, I don't blame you. You're careful, Ryan. You always did know how to play the game." He touched two fingers to his brow in a salute. "That's why it's been a pleasure working with you. I had to keep my daughter safe. You understand, right?"

She started to walk towards him again. "Nate, you're scaring me now. _Who_ found out about you? Was it...?"

She was interrupted by a loud popping sound that came from the scaffolding overhead. A split second later, the back of her informant's skull seemed to explode outwards in a shower of bone fragments, blood, and gray matter. He dropped to his knees and slumped dead to the concrete.

Mary dropped the bag and spun on the balls of her feet, hands raised in a defensive stance. As she finished her turn, she saw a silhouette standing on the scaffolding above the door she'd come in, which was the only way in or out of the warehouse. The figure seemed to be pointing a rifle at her, and Mary's eyes flicked briefly downwards, noticing the small red dot that was inching up her belly.

There was nothing in the warehouse she could hide behind, and if this sniper was talented (and he appeared to be), Mary knew she wouldn't reach the door in time. _Please,_ she thought as the red dot moved up her crop top now, closer to her head. _I can't die like this. I should go down fighting, like my father and Butch._

"Stand down, Mr. Hopper," a deep voice growled suddenly. The red dot, which was now halfway up Mary's neck, suddenly faded from view. The shadowy figure shouldered the weapon and stood there, as if waiting for additional orders.

Mary's eyes ventured from the man on the scaffolding to the warehouse's doorway, which was now open. Another shadow was standing in it, this one a bit more well-built than the man overhead. This new figure started towards her, pausing only to bark another command. "Wait outside, Mr. Hopper. Make sure she doesn't leave this building."

"Yes, sir," said the man on the scaffolding, and started towards a nearby ladder. Mary ignored him, as he seemed obedient, and turned her attention to Hopper's master, who was walking towards her again.

He was close enough now for Mary to see that he was a blond man in his early forties, dressed in a red hakama and white tunic. The tunic was just form-fitting enough for Mary to see that the man appeared to be in better shape then most people half his age. But what caught her attention was the scar that ran down his left eye.

"Geese Howard, I presume?" Quipped Mary, having calmed herself enough to put her poker face back on.

"In the flesh," said the former king of South Town. "You'll spare yourself quite a bit of agony if you come along quietly."

Mary thought back over the contents of her files, tried to gauge the ratio of what his chi attacks might be now. She did her best not to think about their effects on a human body. She needed to steel herself. Everyone had a weakness, and Geese was no different. If she paid attention, she would find it.

She smirked as she pulled her fingerless gloves from the back pocket of her jeans and slipped them on. "Sorry, I have no intention of making this easy. I've been looking forward to meeting you for a while."

Geese paused in his advance then, the brow above his scarred eye raised in curiosity. "Oh? There are many people who have vendettas against me. I've made it a point to memorize their names and faces, but you... you don't look familiar."

"Do you remember Tatsumi Suoh, the Kobojutsu master?" Mary asked him.

Geese rubbed his chin for a moment, looking introspective. "Ah, yes," he said after a moment. "I haven't thought about him since I was a boy."

"You're looking at his granddaughter," Mary said, her green eyes narrowing as she assumed her fighting stance. "You stole secrets of the Suoh clan from him, and I aim to get them back, even if I have to beat their location out of you."

Geese smirked as he took up his own stance. "Hardly appropriate behavior from an officer of the law."

"I'm still on suspension," said Mary. "Besides, I read all your files. Your official record with the department still lists you as deceased. You can't commit assault and battery against a man who's already dead."

Geese Howard laughed then, an icy laugh that actually shook Mary a little at her core, though her green eyes remained neutral. "Oh, I can see why Terry Bogard likes you. You have more spirit than his last girlfriend. That's something I'll need to break before I kill you. But I do wish to set the record straight that I stole nothing from Tatsumi. Your grandfather was a fool who mistakenly told me that my ambition was a weakness. When he would not give me what I came to him for, I simply took it instead. Now I'll show you, just as I showed him, what real power is."

"Well, I have always wondered how I'd do against the best," Mary fired back. "But since they're not here, I'll settle for kicking _your_ ass. Let's dance!"

For a long while, the two of them stood there, staring each other down, each trying to silently taunt the other into making the first move. It was Geese Howard who finally jumped into the air and came at Mary feet-first in a flying kick. Mary braced herself against the concrete, then grabbed Geese's ankles just as his feet connected, and threw him over her shoulder. Geese landed on his feet several yards away.

Mary pressed the attack, sprinting at her opponent and then dropping into a sliding kick as she got near, one foot thrust towards him. Geese waited until the last minute, then split the air between the two of them with his Shippu Ken. The blue chi fireball angled downward, striking Mary and sending her flying back. She landed on her feet, and gave herself a quick slap in the face to shake off the effects of that attack. Then she raised her arms defensively and started to circle the older man.

Geese came at her again, this time charging forward and swinging his fist upward in a Reppu Ken. Mary had read about this move, however, and dodged it with a quick hop back to her right, then she lunged forward and brought her foot into Geese's chest. He tried to counter with his knee, but Mary quickly positioned herself to the side of him, grabbed his waist, then lifted him overhead and slammed him against the concrete in a suplex. She followed this by leaping into the air, and trying to strike Geese with her knee while he was prone, but Geese rolled out of the way. Mary's knee struck the concrete instead, leaving a small crater.

Geese regained his feet and smiled coldly at the blond woman. "You realize that I'm only toying with you, detective," he said with a laugh. "My power has grown since my defeat at the hands of Terry Bogard."

Mary got up as well and resumed her stance. "Talk is cheap," she said.

"How right you are," Geese said. He took a deep breath, as if he were focusing, and then with a cry of " _Deadly Rave!"_ He charged at Mary with his body enveloped in a wreath of chi fire. He swung both high and low, fists moving so fast they were like a blur. Mary managed to deflect the first two strikes, but the third one got through, hitting her in the stomach. That one hit was all it took to throw her off. Mary then attempted to move backwards to try and lessen the force of Geese's attack, but his fists and feet kept pounding her body. Geese finished by thrusting both hands forward, palms first.

Mary gritted her teeth as a burst of chi fire erupted from Geese's hands and coursed through her body. She then took a few small jumps backwards, and when she came to a stop, she spit blood onto the concrete. "Is that all you've got?" She asked her opponent with a defiant smirk.

Geese tried to press the attack, but Mary focused her chi, and began a series of short leaps from one foot to the other, throwing punches at Geese each time one of her feet hit the ground. After keeping up this side-to-side attack for a few moments, Mary slammed her fist into Geese's stomach in an uppercut, launching the crime-lord skyward. Mary jumped and punched him repeatedly in midair, then she pincered his lower torso between her knees and dropped back towards the ground, slamming Geese hard against the concrete underneath her.

She leaped off Geese and quickly turned to face him. He was on his feet again, and this time, he did not look amused. "This contest is over!" He shouted. Mary then heard a crackle, saw the glow of chi materializing around his body.

 _Oh, shit!_ She thought, and then turned to run, hoping to retreat to a safe distance.

" _RAGING STORM!_ " Geese Howard's bellow filled the warehouse as a wall of energy shot up from the ground at his feet and radiated outwards. Mary had only gone a few paces when she felt the wave slam into her back. This time, Mary could not help but cry out as an intense pain unlike anything she'd ever felt seemed to rip through her very soul. The energy of Geese's attack threw her forwards to the ground, where she rolled a little before coming to a stop.

Still blinded by pain, Mary tried to regain her feet, but Geese was on her in seconds, swinging his arm upwards in an arc of blue chi energy. This time his Reppu Ken connected, and Mary was knocked backwards, not stopping until she struck the wall.

Mary slid to her knees, and was still trying to shake off that attack when she felt a powerful hand close around her neck and lift her off the ground. "I have to congratulate you, my dear," Geese said as he held Mary over his head. "You lasted much longer than I thought you would. At the end of the day, I want you to know I did Tatsumi a favor. I put those writings to better use than he ever would have."

Mary struggled to break free, slamming her palm against Geese's arm several times, but his grip was like iron, and she realized that if she didn't stop struggling, he might every well strangle her to death. Instead, she went limp, and then tried to speak. "Guh... Guh..." She managed to get out, but was unable to say anything more because of how tightly he grasped her throat.

The crime-lord loosened his hand slightly, enough to let Mary speak. "My... grandfather asked me to... give you a message," Mary managed to rasp.

Geese cocked his head. "Oh? And what was that?"

"This," Mary answered, and then spit in his face.

Geese's expression turned dark again as he wiped the spittle from his cheek using the back of his other hand. "Bitch," he snarled at Mary through clenched teeth. "I can see that I'll also have to teach you some manners before you die." He squeezed Mary's throat for another few seconds before spinning suddenly on his heel and then slamming her brutally against the concrete floor.

 _Sorry, Terry, but it looks like I won't be back for my jacket after all..._ she managed to think right before she went unconscious.

* * *

A few minutes later, Geese Howard emerged from the warehouse with Mary Ryan's limp body slung over his shoulder, to find Hopper standing by the car they had arrived in. "I got word from Billy and Ripper while you were in there, sir," Hopper said as he opened the back door of the car for Geese. "They completed their own errand successfully."

"Good," Geese said as he shoved Mary into the back seat. Hopper quickly bound her wrists and ankles, then he got into the driver's seat. Geese got into the front passenger seat, and then the two of them were heading back towards Geese's old tower with their captive.

"So it seems the inspector is not completely useless," Geese mused out loud as Hopper drove. "Thanks to that little meeting he arranged with Mary Ryan's informant, we will soon have Terry Bogard and his brother right where we want them..."

To be continued...


	17. Chapter 16

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games or the anime.

* * *

 _Chapter Sixteen – The Race Is On..._

 _She should have been back by now_ , Terry Bogard thought to himself as he paced around his hotel room. Mary had left him at the Pao Pao about three hours ago. He did not know how far away Mary's informant was, but judging by how well she could ride her bike, she probably should have been there and back long ago.

She was not the only one missing. After Terry had first left the cafe and come back to his hotel room, Andy had knocked on his door thirty minutes later and asked Terry if he'd seen Mai. He said that Mai should have been waiting for Andy in their room. But when Andy had gotten back, the lights were off and there was no note. Now, Andy and Joe were out searching for her, while Terry had chosen to stay behind in case Mary called.

Terry's pacing was interrupted by a knock on his door. He crossed the room and opened it, saw Andy standing there along with Joe, both of them grim-faced. Andy had what looked like a bundle of cloth under one arm.

"Any sign of her?" Terry asked.

"Just this," Andy said as he entered the room. He held out the bundle, and Terry saw that it was the dress Mai had been wearing in the cafe. "I found it in the alley across from the hotel, along with this." Andy whipped the dress aside, and underneath, Terry saw that his brother was holding one of Mai's fans.

"Why would her dress have just been sitting there in the alley?" Terry asked.

"The most likely answer," said Andy, "is that she took it off to change into her fighting outfit, because she got ambushed on the way back here." Andy clenched his teeth and pounded Terry's dresser-top in annoyance. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have let her come back here alone. Not after what happened yesterday."

"Mai is a big girl," Joe reminded Andy. "Until we hear otherwise, we should assume she's all right."

Andy gave Joe a small smile, and a nod. "Yeah," he said. Then he asked Terry: "Have you heard from Mary?"

Terry was about to answer when suddenly, the phone by his bed started to ring. Terry sat down on the bed, next to the night stand, and picked up the receiver. "Mary?" He spoke into it.

"No," said a familiar voice. "But she is here. Along with your brother's lovely squeeze."

For a moment, Terry's heart seemed to freeze in his chest. Images of Lily and Sulia dead in his arms flashed through his mind. Then the voice went on: "Your taste in women is excellent, as always, Terry Bogard. Mary is quite beautiful, and she has a lot more fire than Lily."

Both Andy and Joe moved closer to the bed. It was obvious from Terry's pained expression who was on the other end of the line. "Are they..." Terry finally managed to ask, though he was unable to finish the sentence.

"They live," said Geese Howard. "At least, for now."

Terry blew a sharp breath out through his nostrils. "How do I know you haven't killed them?"

There was a pause. Then Geese said: "Very well. If you need proof, I'll let you hear their voices. But don't question me again."

There was what sounded like a shuffle on the other end. Then, faintly, Terry could hear the voice of Mary Ryan shout: "Check the pockets, Terry!" She was then joined by Mai, who started to say rapidly in Japanese: *"Terry, Andy, we're tied up in what looks like a conference..."*

The receiver was pulled away, and then Terry heard what sounded like a loud smacking noise, after which the voices were silent.

"Please," said Terry. "Don't hurt them any more."

"I won't," Geese said coldly. "If you can find them. You have twenty-four hours, starting now, to locate them. After which, I start sending their body parts to your hotel room. And don't worry. I'll start with the toes and work my way up. So that they'll be alive through as much of it as possible."

"Where are they?" Terry asked.

He then heard another loud smack from the other end of the line. "I _told_ you not to question me," Geese growled. "And anyway, I'll leave that up to you to find out. It makes things more interesting that way. The clock starts when I hang up the phone. Good luck..."

"Geese..." Terry started to say, and then was a click, and a dial tone.

For a long while, Terry was silent, staring numbly at the receiver in his hand. Finally, Andy asked him: "Well?"

Terry's movements were heavy as he hung up the phone, and stared down at his lap, not looking up at Andy and Joe. "He has them," Terry finally forced the words out. "We have twenty-four hours to find out where they're being held, or else..." His voice trailed off, but he didn't need to finish.

Terry continued to gaze down at his lap, trying not to think about his dream from the other night, and failing. Finally, he felt Joe's hand on his shoulder. "We will save them, Terry," he said. "Both of them. Right, Andy?"

Andy forced himself to nod. "Right. We have a whole day to find them. And we're _going_ to find them."

The pressure finally became too much for Terry Bogard. Words began to tumble rapidly from him, in a note of panic that Andy was not used to hearing in his brother. "But... but... we have no idea where to start looking. Mary was supposed to... but then she... and now... Andy, I'm so sorry about Mai... You should never have to experience what... what I have... Oh, God..." He stared down at the carpet, fists clenching and unclenching.

Andy and Joe exchanged a concerned look. Andy was worried about Mai, but still, he had never experienced what Terry had been through, what his brother was clearly still going through. _I never thought I'd have to step up and be the nii san for my nii san,_ Andy thought. _But one of us needs to keep cool_.

"Mai is her own woman," Andy told his brother. "She chose to fight with us, and so did Mary. But that doesn't matter, because we're going to save them. Come on, bro, I want to hear you say it with me."

Joe nodded. "Right. Did you hear that, Terry? We are going to save both of them."

Terry did not appear to be listening. Instead, he reached over for Mary's green jacket, which had been lying on his bed, and draped it across his lap. He started numbly down at it, blue eyes shining with tears he was trying to hold back. "I've done it again," he said softly to himself. "I've killed another woman. It's my curse, except now it's also affected Mai. It's not just my lovers anymore, now it's taking my friends."

Andy and Joe looked at each other again, uncertain of what they should say. Terry's hand started to move gently across the fabric of Mary's jacket, and then he paused. "Check the pockets..." he murmured.

"What?" Joe and Andy asked almost at the same time.

"What I was on the phone a minute ago, when Geese let me hear their voices... Mary told me to check the pockets." Terry plunged his hand into the pocket of Mary's jacket, and after a moment, came up with a slip of paper that had been folded many times.

Terry unfolded the paper with trembling hands, saw the words TOP TIER, POSSIBLE PARENT CORPS written at the top in Mary's handwriting. Scrawled underneath that was a lengthy list of several addresses.

Terry stood up suddenly, relief washing over him like a tidal wave. "Yes!" He shouted. "Thank you, Mary!"

"What?" Joe asked him. "What is it?"

Terry acted like he hadn't heard the question, instead kept talking to himself. "Mary left me her jacket earlier. She must have done it in case she was being set up." He looked at his brother and his friend, saw the confusion marring their faces. He held the list out to both of them. "These are the addresses Mary must have found associated with Top Tier Packaging. We have something to go on now. One of them should give us a clue that will lead us to Mai and Mary."

Andy reached out, put his hand on Terry's shoulder. "Say it, Terry."

Terry put one hand on Andy's shoulder and the other on Joe's. "We're going to save them," he said firmly. "Both of them!"

" _Yes!"_ Shouted Joe. "Now _that's_ the Terry I remember! So, what's our plan?"

Terry folded the list back up, slipped it into the pocket of his jeans. "Try to get at least a few hours of sleep," he said. "You'll need it, because we're rolling out of here before sunrise!"

* * *

Geese Howard hung up the phone, and made his way over to the table in the center of the windowless conference room, which had four bamboo paper scrolls resting on its surface. The scrolls were unraveled, and at their full length they covered the entire tabletop. Over in a corner of the room, Mary Ryan and Mai Shiranui sat in metal chairs, their limbs bound to the chairs' legs and armrests by heavy rope. Their faces and arms were slightly bruised, but other than that, they were not badly hurt.

A man with shoulder length brown hair pulled into a ponytail nub, dressed in olive green cargo pants and a black T-shirt stood watch over them, though he seemed to be giving more of his attention to Mai. "You know, sweetheart," he said, his voice practically oozing through the smirk on his lips. "I think you liked it when I frisked you for fans."

Mai wrinkled up her nose, clearly disgusted. "Don't flatter yourself," she told the guard. "If you're as clumsy in bed as you were when you frisked me, I wouldn't be surprised if your boyfriend was cheating on you."

The smirk faded from his lips, which now twisted downwards into a more dangerous expression. "I think you liked it, you little slut," he spat through clenched teeth. "Maybe you just need a reminder." As Mai struggled in the chair, the man reached down, grabbed the fabric on the front of her gi. He was about to rip it away from her breasts when he felt something blunt and wooden rap him hard on the back of the head.

"Keep yer dick in yer pants, Yank!" Billy Kane snapped at him as he pulled his staff away. "Just 'cause we're criminals, it don't mean we're animals!"

The man took his hands away from Mai, and turned to face Billy. "I take my orders from Mr. Howard, not his maid," he retorted.

Geese Howard looked up from the scrolls on the tabletop. "And my orders are for you to shut up and do what Billy told you, Mr. Karlson," he said coldly. "Our guests are not to be violated. For now."

The man in fatigues gave a nod to Geese, and then stepped away from Mai. Geese turned his attention back to the table. After several minutes went by, Mary said to him: "You're not as smart as you think you are, Howard."

Geese looked up again, eyes narrowed into deadly slits. "I'd contain myself if I were you, detective. Unless you want another lesson in manners."

"If it means getting another one of your love taps, I've had worse," Mary responded. "But I wanted you to know that I left Terry a clue on where to find you."

Geese's reaction was not what Mary had expected. Instead, he gave her a cold smile. "I truly hope so. It would be so much more satisfying if he and Andy Bogard found you within the timeframe I specified, so that they can watch their lovers die."

"Hah!" Mai laughed. "I bet Andy, Terry, and Joe will kick your cowardly ass when they get here."

Geese Howard's smile grew colder, with an ice that actually made Mai look away for a moment. She'd never seen such an evil look from anyone, not from any of the opponents she had faced with Andy and her friends. "You would bet wrong, my dear," Geese Howard explained, his hand indicating the open scrolls. "My men have finished their translation of these scrolls. Once I have their spirits within me, I imagine that I will make short work not only of Terry Bogard and the rest of you, but anyone else who might stand in my way."

Geese reached into the pocket of his hakama, pulled out several sheets of folded paper, and laid them down on the table just below the scrolls. If Mai and Mary had been able to see the writing, they'd have seen it was an old dialect of Mandarin, translated in such a way that it could be read by a modern tongue.

"You and Detective Ryan are actually very lucky, my dear," Geese told Mai. "You will get to bear witness as I now become stronger than a God."

"Assuming your men deciphered and translated it correctly," Mary said. "Otherwise, you could very well destroy this building, and possibly a good chunk of South Town along with it."

Geese placed his hands flat on the tabletop. "Well, I suppose we'll find out soon enough if they were successful. Though I have a feeling they did their jobs admirably. After all, I had subordinates standing by with orders to eliminate their families if this building should suddenly vanish." With that, he turned his gaze away from the two women and focused all his attention on the translation, reading it verbatim left to right, up and down.

Both Mai and Mary remained silent as the unraveled scrolls began to glow a faint eldritch green, neither one of them wanting to try and interrupt Geese, as both had read about the consequences that might unleash. Mary's eyes flicked over to Billy Kane, saw that he had stepped back as close to the far wall as he could get, nervously holding his staff out in front of him.

As Geese continued to read, tendrils of mist began to rise from the ancient bamboo paper on the table. The mist increased in volume, and finally began to coalesce into the apparitions of two men, dressed in the garb of Terracotta warriors. They hovered in midair for several seconds, then they seemed to break down into formless mist again.

The scrolls on the table glowed brighter as the mist surrounded Geese Howard, then seemed to enter him through his mouth and nostrils. Geese took no notice of this and continued to read the last lines. He absorbed all of the mist as he finished reading.

The glow on the table faded. Geese looked up at the two women, who noticed that the whites of his eyes now seemed to be filled with that same cold blue fire that Terry had seen in Jin Chonrei's eyes at the tournament. Also, if their eyes were not playing tricks on them, they swore that they could see another faint glow on Geese's chest, through the white fabric of his tunic. Mai and Mary briefly exchanged a nervous glance with one another.

"It is done," said Geese Howard. "I can feel their spirits inside of me, filling me with the power I've always dreamed of, the power that has always been mine by right. A power greater than that of my father, that of my half-brother, and the Lone Wolf combined! This time, it will be different. Terry Bogard will die, but only after he watches everyone he loves die first." Geese then turned to his subordinate. "Billy?"

For a moment, Billy Kane stood there, a blank look on his face. Then Geese said his name louder, and Billy jumped to attention. "Sir?"

"Wrap the scrolls up and move them to a secure location. Then return here and help keep an eye on our guests."

"Yeah... right," Billy said with an absent nod, and set about his task.

Geese then turned to the brown-haired man. "Continue to stand guard, Mr. Karlson. I warn you: do _not_ touch them, or you will have the pleasure of being the first one I test this newfound power on."

Karlson gulped nervously. "Y-y-yes, sir, Mr. Howard," he finally managed to stammer out.

Geese's gaze lingered on Karlson for a moment, and then he looked at Mary and Mai, once more smiling coldly. "And as for you, I suggest you both try and get some sleep. So that you're nice and rested when it's time to die."

With that, Geese left the room. Mai and Mary exchanged a silent look of concern, but otherwise said nothing. Finally, Mary mouthed the words _stay sharp_ to Mai, and then turned her gaze forward again. The ninja girl nodded, and tilted her chin down towards the floor, but like Mary, her eyes continued to scan the room.

* * *

It was late afternoon by the time that Terry, Andy and Joe pulled into the last address on the list. Terry Bogard would have been lying if he said that he still had the same level of enthusiasm he'd had early this morning. In fact, the sense of unease he'd felt while talking to Geese Howard on the phone had been creeping back into him as they'd searched each address on the list, and found nothing that would lead them closer to locating Mai and Mary.

They parked in front of a large, one-story pink stucco building and got out of the car. Terry glanced around, and saw nothing else of note except a strip mall across the street.

"Everything else has been a dead end," Joe Higashi remarked. "So we'll _have_ to find something here."

"Right," Andy Bogard said with a nod. "You ready, Terry?"

"Yeah," Terry said, and started towards the building's main entrance. Inside, they found a receptionist's desk being manned by a middle-aged woman with short red hair wearing an over-sized sweater. They also noticed a bunch of boxes around, some of them half-empty, their contents still being unloaded.

"They look like they just moved into these offices recently," Andy said as he noticed the boxes.

Joe sniffed the air. "Yeah, this building even smells new."

Terry started towards the desk, and Joe and Andy followed him. The receptionist looked up, and frowned when she saw the three fighters and what they were wearing. "What are you?" She asked them. "Some sort of amusing telegram? Whose birthday is it?"

Terry ignored the humor. "We were hoping to talk to your boss," he told the woman. "Is he available?"

The receptionist indicated the hallway behind her desk. "He's down at the end of that hallway. Do you have an appointment?"

"No," said Terry. "But it's very important that we speak to him. We're looking for our friends."

"Maybe you should call the police, then," said the woman. "If your friends are missing."

"Because some of the police might be involved in their being missing," said Joe. "Now, can we see your boss or not?"

"Not without appointment," the receptionist said firmly, and went back to reading her magazine.

"I don't have time for this," Terry muttered, and then started past the desk and down the hallway, ignoring the receptionist's shouts of protest. As Terry passed the doors on either side of the corridor, he looked in the open ones and saw more boxes being unloaded, just as he'd seen in the lobby.

Finally, he reached the door to what appeared to be the CEO's office, and threw it open. Inside, he saw that the spacious office was only partially set up, with a few boxes lining one wall. Behind the desk sat a nervous-looking man in a gray suit, with thick glasses and a ring of dark hair surrounding his otherwise bald head. When Terry entered, the man looked up from the spreadsheets he was poring over.

"What is the meaning of this?" He asked as he got up from his chair. "You're trespassing on private property."

"Top Tier Packaging," said Terry. "Have you ever heard of it?"

"Even if I had, why would I tell you?" The man asked as he started towards Terry.

"They were one of the sponsors of the King of Fighters tournament. We think they might be one of your shell corporations. Geese Howard may have been using them to sponsor the tournament."

"Geese Howard is dead," the CEO retorted. "And even if Top Tier was my company, there's nothing illegal about owning a shell corporation. Or sponsoring a fighting tournament. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

The man started back towards his desk, when Terry suddenly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Please!" He shouted. "Geese has kidnapped my friends. He's going to kill them if we don't find them by tonight. If you know something, you _HAVE_ to tell me!"

By this time, Andy and Joe had made their way back to the office and managed to pull Terry's hands off the shorter man. The CEO turned red in the face, got back behind his desk, and began to jot something down on a legal pad. "You know, I'm glad the mayor has taken this stance against street fighting. You people are an unpredictable menace who need to be controlled by any means necessary. If I were him, I'd run each and every one of you out of town." His pen flew across the paper as he continued to berate them. "Now, as you have no evidence that I've done anything wrong, or even a warrant, I suggest you leave before I have you arrested for trespassing. I'm already going to sue you for harassment." He ripped the paper free from the pad, folded it in half, then stepped out from behind the desk and offered it to Terry. "So, if you don't have a lawyer, I've written the names of some good ones down for you. I strongly suggest you take this."

Terry glared at him, making no effort to retrieve the paper. However, Andy noticed an odd look in the CEO's eyes, even through his thick lenses, and so he accepted the paper from the man. Andy opened it, his blue eyes flicked briefly over its contents, and then he folded it again. "Thank you," he told the CEO, his expression neutral. "We'll take your advice." He put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Come on, Terry."

Terry stood there for another moment, and then reluctantly allowed Andy and Joe to lead him back outside. When they were in the parking lot, Terry was about to ask his brother why he had just rolled over like that, when Andy held the yellow sheet of paper out to him. "Read it," he said.

Terry snatched the note from Andy, opened it, and read: _I can't appear to look like I'm helping you because someone may be watching me. I used to have offices at South Town Commerce Plaza, on the 42_ _nd_ _floor. Geese Howard forced me out of them by threatening my family, and the people who work for me. You may still find him and your friends in my old offices. I am telling you this because I know of your reputation, Mr. Bogard, and that you have defeated Geese Howard before. Stop him. You and your friends are the only ones who can. Good luck._

Relief flooded through him once more. Terry then passed it to Joe, who also read it. "Commerce Plaza..." he said slowly. "Didn't that used to be Geese Tower?"

"It did," said Andy, who suddenly had a look of annoyance on his face. "I don't know why we didn't think to look there before."

"It would be too obvious," Terry explained. " _I_ didn't think that Geese would go back to the most obvious place. Which means it would have been the last place I looked."

"That slick son of a..." Joe said with a shake of his head. "You almost have to admire him. Well, now we know where they probably are. So what are we standing around for?"

"Right," said Terry. He started to open the door of their rental car, and then paused halfway, and looked at Andy and Joe. "Guys, I'm sorry if I seem like I've been having a short fuse all day."

Andy shrugged. "I understand," he said. "I'm worried, too. But now we know where to find Mai and Mary. We're gonna save them, Terry."

"Right," said Joe. "Also, those two seem to work well together. I wouldn't be surprised if they're hatching a plan."

"Well, just in case they're not, let's get a move on," Terry said, and opened his door the rest of the way. He and Joe were about to enter the car, when Terry noticed that Andy was looking at the strip mall across the street.

"Andy," Terry said to him. "Come on. We gotta move!"

Andy continued to stare at the building, not acknowledging his brother. Then, finally, he said, "I just saw movement over there. I think we _are_ being watched."

* * *

Across the street, from their vantage point just around the corner of the small line of stores, Jin Chonrei peeked around cautiously. He couldn't be sure, but he thought the younger Bogard might have spotted him a moment ago.

"What's going on?" Chonshu asked, standing just behind him. "Have they left yet?"

"They looked like they were going to," Chonrei answered. "Now they're talking amongst themselves. Now, it looks like... get back!"

Chonshu quickly retreated a pace, as Chonrei was doing the same. Both brothers then pressed themselves flat against the brick wall. They heard three sets of footsteps crossing the street, heard the loud conversation (which steadily grew louder) about how Terry, Joe and Andy were going to grab some sodas before moving on, heard the faint ring of the bell as the door to one of the shops was opened. Then silence.

"I don't think they saw us," Chonrei said as he crept forward cautiously to the corner again. Chonshu fell cautiously into step behind him.

"Can we help you?" They suddenly heard a voice say. Both brothers turned their heads as one to see Andy Bogard standing behind them, arms folded over his chest.

"Word of advice," came a voice from above. A moment later, Joe Higashi landed in front of the two teens, raised his hands in a fighting stance. "If you're going to sneak, try wearing some colors that actually blend into things."

"Makes it a lot easier," Terry Bogard said as he came around the corner that Chonrei had been peeking from a minute ago. "Now... would you mind telling us why you're following us? Because I have a suspicion you've been doing that since my friends got to South Town."

"Yes, we would mind!" Chonshu snapped as he rushed forward with enhanced speed. Terry still managed to sidestep the charge and held his arm out, clothes-lining the boy. Chonshu struck Terry's arm with his face and sprawled on his back into the dirt.

"That's enough, brother," said Chonrei. "Yes, we have been following you. Because it seemed likely you would lead us to Geese Howard."

"Why?" Terry asked. "What is so important about the Jin Scrolls that they're worth this much trouble to you?"

Chonrei took a deep breath. "They are important to us... because we are descendants of Qin Kong and Qin Wang."

As one, the eyes of Terry, Andy and Joe came open wide in surprise. When they said nothing, Chonrei continued: "My brother and I lived peacefully with the rest of our family in a small village in the foothills of the Daxiangling mountains. Growing up, Chonshu and I heard stories from our parents about the deeds of our ancestors. But we were told those days were long gone. Both my family, and everyone else who had settled in that village were living peacefully. Our father gave us lessons in the fighting art of Teiou Ken, but mostly as a form of discipline.

"Then, about five years ago, a plague wiped out most of our village. Chonshu and I lost the rest of our family to this plague, and wound up living homeless in the streets of Meishan. Sometimes, we made just enough yuan to eat something by helping people carry their bags to their homes, but most of the time we were forced to steal so we wouldn't starve. Then one day, we made the mistake of stealing from a restaurant under Triad protection. They sent men after us, who beat us and left us for dead. As we lay dying, the spirits of several of our ancestors found us. Somehow, they managed to heal our mortal wounds, and now they inhabit our bodies, and greatly enhance our fighting abilities.

"We came here to America shortly after we learned about the robbery that took place in Hong Kong. The spirits told us about what was stolen from that museum, and that it contained the souls of the greatest living warriors of our line. After arriving in your country, we questioned some fences who move ancient artifacts, sometimes with our fists, and learned that one of the scrolls might be here. Once we got to South Town, it made sense to follow you, Terry Bogard, as you and your friends have a knack for getting involved in situations where the world hangs in the balance."

Terry rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That's... quite a story," he said. "After everything I've been through, I believe it. So why not just _ask_ us for help? You know that my friends and I have seen enough in our own travels that we probably would have taken your story at face value."

"We prefer to work alone," and Chonshu, who had gotten back to his feet.

"There's still one thing we don't know," Andy said. "I understand why you feel the scrolls are yours, but what will you do with them when you get them?"

Chonrei gave a smirk, and raised his hand. "That will remain our secret," he said, then swung his arm down. Something slipped from his hand and slammed on the ground, generating a thick cloud of smoke that momentarily distracted Terry, Andy, and Joe. They each fell back a few paces, shutting their eyes and putting their hands over their mouths to try and keep from coughing. When the smoke cleared, Chonrei and Chonshu had vanished.

"Do you think they were telling the truth?" Joe asked.

"It wouldn't be the strangest thing we've ever seen," said Terry. "But anyway, it doesn't matter now. All that does matter is getting to Geese Tower, saving Mai and Mary, and putting an end to Geese."

"Then why are we still standing here?" Joe responded to him.

"Right," said Terry. "Let's roll!" He then started back towards their car. Andy and Joe followed him, trying to keep up.

* * *

Geese Howard looked down from the window of his office, watching as the crimson orb of the evening sun began to dip behind the skyline of South Town. The remaining offices in the tower had closed for the day, and the parking lot was nearly deserted. So it was easy for him to notice the four-door coupe that pulled in close to the building, and also to notice the three familiar figures emerging from it.

Geese turned away from the window, crossed over to the desk, picked up the receiver of his phone, and rapidly pressed two buttons.

"Sir?" He heard Hopper's voice on the other end.

"They've arrived, Mr. Hopper," he spoke into the receiver. "You and Mr. Ripper dispatched the security guards?"

"Yes, sir," answered Hopper.

"Then light it up." Geese hung up the phone and made his way towards the door.

 _It would have been a pity if Terry Bogard hadn't figured out where to find them_ , he thought to himself. _Oh, it would have been satisfying to send him and Andy the body parts of their lovers. But, now... this will be a fight to remember. And one they don't stand a chance of winning._

As Geese Howard made his way down the hall, his eyes once more began to exude that faint blue glow.

* * *

Down on the ground, Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard and Joe Higashi were crossing the marble courtyard of the business plaza, moving past the ornate fountain which was now shut off since business hours were over. They saw Geese Howard's old headquarters looming large and impassive in front of them.

As they got closer, there was a sudden sizzle of electricity, and then, above the main entrance to the building, the word GEESE suddenly appeared on the side of the tower in neon letters twenty feet high.

The three fighters stopped for a moment, regarding what it meant. "He knows we're here," Andy said softly. "We're obviously walking into a trap."

Terry sucked in a breath through his nostrils, blew it out slowly. "Where Geese Howard is involved, we should have known it wasn't going to be easy. But trap or no trap, there's no turning back now." He broke into a run, then, sprinting towards the main entrance. Andy and Joe cast a quick look at each other, and then started after Terry, doing their best to keep up.

To be continued...


	18. Chapter 17

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games or the anime.

* * *

 _Chapter Seventeen: Beginning of the End_

They were starting to lose track of the time. They had estimated it was probably very early morning when Geese Howard had called Terry Bogard's hotel room. Since then, Mai Shiranui and Mary Ryan had taken turns trying to catch some sleep (one woman would doze, while the other kept watch over Billy Kane and the lackey known as Karlson, who continued to keep watch over _them_ ), but with no windows in the conference room, it was hard to gauge how close they were to the deadline.

In addition to taking turns sleeping, the two women had looked for escape opportunities, but had been unsuccessful in finding any. There were always at least two guards in the room. Billy never left Karlson alone, and if he had to go somewhere else for some reason, he always waited until another guard came in to take his place. At one point, Mary had announced that she needed to go to the bathroom. Her captors had responded by loosening her bonds just enough for her to stand slightly, and then handing her an oversized plastic cup from a 7-11. So Mary had simply sat back down and said it was a false alarm. When Geese Howard entered the room an indeterminate number of hours later followed by a dark-haired man dressed in a suit, tie, and sunglasses, as well as two other guards, Mai and Mary were no longer sure just how much time had passed since Geese had read the mantra of the scrolls.

The former king of South Town stopped in front of their chairs, wearing a smirk of triumph in addition to his white tunic and crimson hakama. "Good news," he said to the detective and the ninja girl. "It seems your boyfriends have arrived in time. Which means we must now prepare. Billy, go help our new guests feel at home." Billy Kane, who was standing behind Mary's chair, stood there for a moment, then nodded silently and left the room. Geese turned to the brown-haired guard in fatigues. "Mr. Karlson, untie the detective. Mr. Hopper?"

Hopper nodded and moved over to the chair that Mai was tied in. He pulled his Beretta from its holster, and pressed it against Mai's scalp. "Make any sudden moves," Hopper told Mary. "And she dies."

Mary gritted her teeth as her bonds were loosened, and she rose slowly from her chair. "I won't try anything," she said. "Unlike your boss, I value the lives of my friends over blind ambition."

Geese Howard chuckled coldly. "There is nothing blind about my ambition, detective. Now, you and I will need to get ready to greet Terry Bogard." He motioned to the two other men who had come into the room with them, and they took up positions on either side of Mary, grabbing her roughly by the arms. They started towards the door of the conference room and Hopper fell into step behind them, jamming the barrel of his gun into Mary's back.

Geese began to follow them, then paused halfway to the door and turned to face Mai. "But don't feel left out, my dear," he said as he flashed the ninja girl a wicked grin. "After I make Terry watch as I rip his new girlfriend limb from limb, then I'll be back to give you a taste of my newfound power, as well. I wouldn't want Andy to miss out on that. In fact, I offer you a choice: you can either watch your lover-boy die before I kill you, or Andy can watch _you_ die before I kill _him_. It's up to you. I'll be back later to hear your decision."

Mai stared back at him defiantly, unflinching. "And if I choose not to decide?"

"Then, I might just have a change of heart and let some of my men have their way with you before I end you. In which case, you'll die second, because I would force Andy to watch that. Even if I have to break his arms and legs to stop him from moving." Geese gave a cold laugh then, a laugh that shook Mai down to the center of her being. Her mouth was open wide in shock at what Geese had just proposed. Geese Howard saw the pain and horror etched on Mai's features and he savored it like a finely-aged wine.

"Stay focused, Mai!" The kunoichi heard Mary call to her from the hallway. "We're never helpless. Keep your eyes open for anything you might use to..."

A moment later, one of the guards silenced her with a rough slap. Geese started to leave the conference room, then paused in the doorway, turned towards Karlson. "Until I say otherwise, you're being paid to guard her at this time, nothing more. So stand there and do your job. If you do anything else to her without my direct orders, it will take you a _very_ long time to die." Geese then gave Mai a polite nod. "You'd better have your decision made by the time I get back." With that, Geese, Hopper, and the other two men were gone, taking Mary with them. Karlson shut the door, locked it, and then stood off to the side, keeping an eye on Mai while trying not to look too closely at her.

* * *

Outside the building, Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, and Joe Higashi peered cautiously in through the front doors at the seemingly deserted lobby. They did not see anyone behind the front desk, and the bank of monitors behind the desk all appeared to be switched off.

"So... do we knock first?" Joe asked after they had spent a few minutes scanning the lobby from the outside. Terry said nothing, and simply slammed his fist against one of the glass doors in a Burn Knuckle attack. The glass shattered completely, and Terry stepped through the now empty frame into the lobby of Geese Tower. Andy and Joe followed without a word.

They had barely taken three steps across the white and black tiled floor when suddenly, a dozen of Geese's men seemed to appear out of nowhere directly in front of them, fists raised and ready for action. Both Andy and Joe assumed their fighting stances, but before they could do anything else, Terry leaped into the center of the crowd of thugs, and slammed his gloved fist against the ground. A Power Geyser much larger than any Andy or Joe had seen him make before shot up from the floor and hurled the men in all directions. When the blast had died down, only two or three were still conscious, and Terry quickly knocked them out with swift kicks to the head.

After a moment, Andy and Joe cautiously lowered their fists, and then shot one another a concerned look. "Terry," Andy told his brother. "We still don't know what else is up there. You should probably pace yourself."

"Right," Joe agreed. "Especially if Geese has figured out how to read the scrolls."

Terry seemed not to have heard them, instead his gaze moved towards the desk. "Let's check the directory," he said. "See if we can find out what floor they might be on."

"We've already checked it," said a familiar voice. Jin Chonrei, who had apparently been sitting behind the desk, suddenly rose into view. "The offices on the forty-second floor are listed as being renovated. You will probably find your friends there." The dark-haired teen stepped out from behind the desk and was joined a moment later by Jin Chonshu.

"Have you come to help us?" Terry asked them.

"Yes and no," said Chonrei. "We have something that we must handle ourselves." With that, he and his brother ran off towards the elevators with a sudden burst of that unnatural speed of theirs.

Terry watched them go, then he turned to his brother and friend. "The elevators might be booby-trapped. So I guess we should take the stairs. Come on!" He then started off in the direction that the Jin brothers had gone in.

Andy broke into a run after Terry, while Joe stood there for another moment and rolled his eyes. " _Walking_ up forty-two floors?" He remarked out loud. "If the lives of Terry and Andy's women weren't depending on us, I'd have stayed in bed this morning." Then he sprinted after the Bogard brothers.

* * *

"Aren't you gonna try something?"

From his spot by the door, Karlson reluctantly moved his gaze to the chair that Mai Shiranui was tied to. She was regarding him with a look that seemed almost coy, the exact opposite of the glare that she'd given him when he'd last tried to touch her.

"I was lying earlier, you know," Mai said to him as she cocked her head slightly, batted her long eyelashes. "I actually liked being frisked by you. I just didn't want to admit that while my friend was in the room with me. So, I'm surprised you haven't tried something yet."

Karlson moved his gaze away from the tempting kunoichi, and gritted his teeth. "I... can't," he said. "What if Mr. Howard finds out?"

"Why would he find out?" Mai asked. "We're alone. Are there any security cameras in here?"

"Um... no," the guard replied.

 _God, he is gullible!_ Mai thought triumphantly. _He just told me exactly what I needed to know._ While she regretted what she was about to do, she did not feel like just waiting around for someone to come rescue her, not while everyone else was probably busy fighting. She had an opportunity to get free before Geese came back, and forced her to make that sadistic choice, and she was going to take it. _I'm sure Andy will understand what I'm about to do_.

"Well, then..." Mai told the guard. "As long we're quick, Geese will never know. And I won't tell if you won't." She batted her lashes again, flashed the guard a sly smile. "C'mere," she half-breathed, lowering her voice.

Karlson still stood by the door, though Mai could tell by the bulge in his crotch that he was extremely conflicted. Mai started to rock from side to side in her chair as best as her bonds would allow. Karlson took a step towards her, about to tell her to stop, and then her movements caused one of her breasts to pop out of her gi. Karlson halted in his tracks, his eyes going wide.

"You keep hesitating," Mai said in her most innocent tone, "And you'll miss your chance. Come here."

Slowly, the guard started towards the chair again. "That's a good boy," Mai purred. Finally, he reached the chair, crouched down in front of the kunoichi, and moved his hand towards her ample chest.

"Wait," Mai said when his hand was halfway there. "Untie one of my hands first."

"What?" Karlson sputtered. "No!" He shook his head. "I should have known this was just a..."

"It's no trick," Mai said quickly. "You know I don't have any weapons. You frisked me yourself, remember? Which I loved, by the way. I just want to make this more enjoyable for you." Karlson still looked confused, so Mai explained. "Do you think ninja girls are only taught how to fight? We're trained in other arts of a more personal nature, too." She leaned forward, whispered hotly into the guard's ear. " _Very_ well trained."

She saw a shudder run through his body, then. _Oh, I've got him,_ she thought. _Right where I want him._ "Come on," she whispered. "Just give me the use of one hand. I _promise_ it will be worth it."

Karlson nodded weakly, and quickly untied the bonds strapping Mai's left arm to the chair. Once it was free, Mai reached out, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and pulled the brown-haired man closer. As Mai's lips homed in on his, she started to move her hand slowly, slowly down his torso towards the waistline of his pants.

The second their mouths met, Mai bit down hard, sinking her teeth into her captor's lower lip. She kept her teeth clamped together, ignoring his screams of pain as she quickly reached into her gi. Moving like lightning, she opened her mouth to release her hold on his lip and then whipped her hand out, her fan slamming upwards into his jaw.

Karlson staggered backwards, dazed, blood dripping from his mouth. Before he could recover, Mai quickly used her fan to cut through the rest of her bonds, and then she was on her feet. A few well-placed kicks, followed by a Ryu En Bou, and then her captor was on the floor. Mai quickly grabbed the ropes that had bound Mary, which still sat on the detective's old chair, and used them to hog-tie Karlson.

She then took a moment to fix her gi, and also to wipe her mouth off on her wrist guard. By that time, her captor had recovered enough to stare up at Mai in shock. "But... but... I frisked you," he managed to say with a slight lisp due to his wounded lip.

"Well, you didn't do a very good job, did you?" Mai told him. "This outfit has more hiding places than most people realize." She stepped over the guard, and then turned suddenly to face him. "Oh, and for the record, creep, you're an idiot if you think I'd ever willingly do anything with you. You're nowhere _near_ as cute as Andy. Not even in the same league." Mai swung her fan down hard on the guard's head, knocking him unconscious. She then made her way over to the door, opened it, and after peering cautiously out in both directions, she ran off down the hall to try and find Andy and the others.

* * *

By the time that Terry, Andy and Joe had gotten to the forty-second floor, they had faced several of Geese's thugs on the stairwell. Or, more accurately, Terry had faced them. Each time they were ambushed, the elder Bogard would throw himself into the fray like a man possessed, knocking out their attackers before Andy or Joe could get in a single hit.

Now they were searching the floor that they suspected Mai and Mary might be on, and so far, the search was fruitless. Namely because Terry continued to launch himself into every fight without any strategy, and both Joe and Andy could see that it was getting them nowhere.

After knocking out yet another of Geese's thugs, Terry stood there for a moment, breathing hard. Then he started down the corridor again at that same reckless pace. This time, however, both Terry's brother and his friend sprinted ahead and planted themselves firmly in front of Terry. Terry tried to muscle past them, but Andy and Joe reached out, each planted a firm hand on one of Terry's shoulders.

"Look, Terry," Andy calmly told him. "I know you're concerned about the girls. We all are. And we're gonna save them. But our current strategy is getting us nowhere."

"Right," Joe said with a nod. "You can't keep knocking out every guy we come across. We need to keep one of them conscious so we can question him."

Terry took a deep breath, and a moment later, both Andy and Joe could feel him relax in their grip. They took their hands away, and instead of running past them, Terry just stood there, catching his breath. "You're right," he said as he doffed his cap, wiped the sweat from his brow. "I'm sorry, guys. I know I haven't been acting like myself."

Joe shrugged. "It's okay. Neither one of us can honestly say we know what you've been through."

" _Andy!"_ They then heard a familiar voice shout from the far end of the hallway. Their heads turned as one, and they saw Mai Shiranui racing towards them.

"Mai!" Andy shouted back, the look on his face a mixture of relief, and also confusion. A moment later, the kunoichi was on him, hugging him tightly. Andy put his own arms around her waist, hugging her back. "How did you..."

"I can take care of myself, remember?" Mai said with a smirk. "And after I got out, I just followed the trail of unconscious men."

Terry put a hand on Mai's shoulder. "I'm glad you escaped, Mai," he said. "But... do you know where Mary is?"

Mai shook her head. "Sorry, but no. We were being held in the same room, then right before I got free, Geese came, and moved her somewhere else. He didn't say where they were going. But I _do_ know that he has used the Jin Scrolls. The spirits of the Long generals are a part of him now." Mai then turned her gaze back to Andy. "Andy, you were right about Geese. He's pure evil. We've faced some bad people before, but... he's more sadistic than even Laocorn's henchmen. We _have_ to stop him."

"You mean I have to stop him," Terry Bogard said, his blue eyes suddenly hard like two chips of reinforced steel. "I'm the one he wants. Ever since my fight with him three years ago, I've always been the one that he wants. This is my fight, and I won't let anyone else I care about risk their lives over it. I've lost too much already. Andy, you, Mai, and Joe should get out of here, and get clear of the tower. I'll finish this."

"Of course you will," Andy told his brother. "But not without me. Remember what Master Xiang said the other day about the true strength of the wolf. Tonight, you need your pack with you. Besides, you know I'd never let you do this alone. Jeff Bogard was my father, too."

Joe stepped over to the Bogards, placed one arm around each of them. "You guys are like my brothers," he told him. "And family doesn't abandon one another, not in their darkest hour. We stand together. Whatever the outcome, I'm with you until the end."

"I'm with you too," Mai joined in, stepping over so that she was across from Joe. Like Joe, she also put an arm around both Terry and Andy, completing the circle. "I made my choice a long time ago, when I gave my heart to Andy: any enemy of his, or his brother, is an enemy of mine. Now and always."

Terry moved his gaze over all three of them, seeing the love and camaraderie shining in their eyes. They had clearly made their decision, and Terry wasn't going to try and stop them anymore. After a moment, Joe told him: "Looks like you're stuck with us, Terry."

Terry Bogard flashed them all a grin. "And I wouldn't want it any other way. Let's end this!" With that, the four of them broke their circle and started up the corridor with a new sense of resolve.

* * *

The next group of men they encountered several minutes later went down fairly easily, and this time they managed to subdue one of them without knocking the man out. He told Terry and the others that Geese had taken Mary up to the conservatory on the fiftieth floor, which was not accessible by stair, but by express elevator only, and that required a keycard.

They figured that Geese would probably have left that with one of his lieutenants, and so they began searching the offices as they found them. Most of them were empty, and occasionally they'd run into another group of Geese's men, but otherwise they weren't having much luck. It was about twenty minutes later, as they were rounding a corner, that they came across a familiar figure in sunglasses emerging from one of the offices. He froze like a deer in the headlights when he saw the four comrades.

"Wait, aren't you the guy who tasered me?" Mai asked him as she menacingly raised her fan.

Andy turned to her, one brow raised. "He did _what_ to you?"

Ripper raised both of his hands, palms facing towards them. "Nothing personal," he told them. "I'm just a professional doing a job. That's it."

Andy growled and lunged forward at Ripper. "Andy, wait!" Mai shouted a split second after Andy had started, but it was too late. The younger Bogard was committed to his attack. His Zan-Ei-Ken slammed Ripper in the chest, and the dark-haired man flew backwards and sprawled to the ground. He did not get up again.

Andy lowered his elbow, and turned to his girlfriend, confused. "Why did you try to stop me, Mai?"

"Because I wanted to do that," Mai explained. Then she shrugged. "Ah, well, you _are_ still cute when you get protective."

A quick search of Ripper revealed that he did not have a keycard. As the four of them were standing around, wondering what they should do next, they heard a familiar voice behind them: "So, you escaped, eh, love? I should'a known Karlson would ignore the boss, and do something stupid. Back in the ould days, the grunts knew how to follow orders."

Terry, Andy, Joe and Mai turned quickly in the direction of the voice, and assumed their fighting stances. Billy Kane stood there with his staff out, but this time, he had it at his side instead of having it raised. There was a lanyard around his neck which had a plastic card clipped to it. Billy tapped at the card. "I'm sure you've figured out that you ain't gettin' to the boss without this."

"So, what now, Billy?" Terry asked him. "You don't seem to have any goons to help you this time. Are you really gonna take on all four of us?"

"A few years ago, I might've," Billy said grimly. He tugged at the keycard, pulling it loose from the lanyard, and tossed it to Terry, who grabbed it out of midair. "But not today."

"You've never backed down from a fight, regardless of the odds," said Andy, who continued to eye him warily. "Why now?"

"Because I'm tired," Billy explained. "This job used to be a lot more fun. The boss ran a criminal empire, I helped him enforce it. Extortion, drugs, gambling, prostitution, crooked cops. Basic stuff. I liked doing it. Then his chest got scarred, and now it's all this fantasy crap about ghosts, goblins, magic scrolls, elaborate revenge plots. It just ain't simple anymore. And anyway, he pays me to guard him. I'm sure yer lady has told you that he's used the scrolls. Now that he's invincible, he don't really need me to guard him anymore."

"So, why not come with us?" Joe asked him. "Then you'd _really_ make up for what you did three years ago."

"Because this ould Brit has done enough backstabbin' fer one day," Billy said. "And I've watched him get more and more powerful even before he used the scrolls. The four of you are no match for him now. One more ain't gonna make a difference." With that, he nodded, shouldered his staff, and turned back in the direction he'd come from.

"Where are you going?" Mai called after him.

Billy paused, turned his head slightly back over his shoulder. "If I live to see tomorrow, I'll probably take a holiday. It's been a while since I saw London." He then turned his head forward again and kept walking.

"Are we sure he's not setting us up?" Joe asked the others after Billy was out of sight.

"Even if he is, we have no choice," said Terry. "The fiftieth floor is where we'll find Geese and Mary, so that's where we're going." He turned and stepped over Ripper's unconscious body, and the others quickly followed. "Now, let's go find that express elevator."

* * *

The four of them met no more opponents on the way to the elevator. It was almost as if once word had spread that they'd gotten the keycard, any men remaining in the tower were trying to either hide, or escape from the storm that was to come.

The elevator itself was back where the main elevators were, except instead of having a panel next to it with up and down buttons, there was only a slot for the keycard, resting below a bright red button. Terry Bogard cast a glance at Andy, Mai, and Joe, who all nodded silently. Terry slipped the card into the slot and pressed the button. A moment later, there was a cheerful pinging sound as the door opened.

They knew that Geese wanted this fight to happen, so they doubted that he'd rigged this elevator. They stepped onto it, and Terry pressed the button for the fiftieth floor. No one spoke as they watched the large red number on the display tick up slowly, one digit at a time. Instead, they spent the ride gathering as much chi as they could. They had already seen the enhanced powers of Chonrei and Chonshu. Since Geese had used the scrolls, they had some idea of what they were in for.

Finally, after what felt like an endless minute, the door opened. They emerged into a wide area with several neat garden arrangements placed in orderly fashion in several sconces all across a ceramic tiled floor that looked like it was supposed to mimic a cobblestone path. The ceiling overhead was high, domed, and composed of an intricate steel framework surrounding many large panes of glass.

The four comrades glanced around apprehensively, then started forward, their hands raised in defensive stances. They had gone several paces from the elevator when they heard a familiar voice: "So nice of you to finally join us."

They turned, and saw Geese Howard standing in front of what looked like a small fountain, with Mary Ryan in front of him. His left arm was draped across her neck in a tight hold. Mary's gloved hands were gripping Geese's forearm, but she couldn't seem to budge him.

"Mary!" Terry shouted, taking a step forward.

"Not another step!" Geese warned him, moving his other hand so that his palm rested only inches from Mary's head. A faint glow of chi emanated from it.

"Relax, Terry!" He heard Mary call to him. "It's best to keep a cool head in these situations."

"Indeed," said Geese. "You wouldn't want to see her die without having a chance to say your farewells first, would you?"

Terry stopped walking, lowered his arms. He looked over his shoulder at the other three and gave a nod. They lowered their arms, as well.

"I'm well aware of how sneaky ninja can be, my dear," Geese called over to Mai. "You may want to refrain from that."

Mai nodded, and without a word, she dropped the fan she was still holding. "The other ones, too," the former crime lord growled at her. Mai clenched her teeth, then pulled three more fans out of her gi and tossed them to the ground as well.

"Better," Geese told her. "Now then, shall we begin?" The hand against Mary's head began to glow faintly again.

"I'm the one you want, Geese!" Terry called to him, as he raised his hands above his head. "Let Mary walk out of here, and you can have me. I'll surrender myself to you willingly. Torture me, kill me, whatever you want to do, I won't resist."

"And miss the opportunity to deprive you of everyone and everything you love?" Geese gave a cold laugh. "I don't think so. Which is why I'm going to start with your lady friend, here."

Terry almost took a step forward again. "No!" He shouted. "Please!"

"It's okay, Terry!" He heard Mary call to him. "This is one of those situations where you should just... _throw_ it in. You understand me?"

For a moment Terry's mouth hung open as he stared at her. Then he saw the detective close one of her green eyes in a wink. He nodded, and his shoulders visibly sagged. "You're right, Mary," he said. "I'm sorry."

Andy, Mai, and Joe stared numbly at him. "Terry..." Joe started to say.

"Save it," said Terry. "There's nothing we can do."

"Oh, Terry," Mary said with a hint of sadness to her voice, and Geese felt her finally go limp in his arm. He smiled triumphantly as he relaxed his grip slightly, thinking he'd won...

Before Geese realized what was happening, Mary positioned her left foot behind his own, and kicked forward, knocking him slightly off balance. She then reached back over her head, grabbed him, and threw him bodily over her shoulders, in the direction of Terry Bogard. " _Now, Terry!"_ She yelled as she tossed him.

Terry jumped forward and then slammed his right fist against the ground. Geese, still flying towards Terry, was caught directly in Terry's Power Geyser attack. Without giving him a chance to recover, Terry followed by slamming his left fist against the ground, then his right again, creating two more Geysers in rapid succession. The waves of energy slammed into Geese over and over, tossing him up and down like a rag doll. Finally, the energy dissipated, and as Geese came back down towards the ground, Terry delivered a spinning kick that caught the crime lord right in his breastbone, sending him flying backwards. Geese struck the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust as several of the tiles on the floor beneath him were pulverized.

Mary quickly ran to Terry's side, and assumed her fighting stance. "You know, for a second there, I thought you weren't gonna catch my meaning," she said to him.

Terry ignored the urge to hug her, knowing that Mary would not appreciate that at the moment, so instead he smirked at her. "You were the one who said I'd have made a good detective. You okay?"

Mary nodded. "I'm okay. He beat me a little before you got here, but I've felt worse in practice matches."

Mai, Andy and Joe were soon alongside the two of them, and assumed their own fighting stances. "I hope you can live with yourself after this, Mary," Mai told her jokingly.

"Technically, I wasn't rescued, Princess," Mary fired back.

"Ladies, I think we have more pressing concerns than girl talk," said Joe. Ahead of them, the cloud of dust was beginning to settle. They saw Geese Howard standing in the middle of it, looking completely unfazed by Terry's attack. He ripped off his white tunic and flung it aside, and they all saw that the scar on his chest was glowing, the same ethereal blue that filled the whites of his eyes.

"My turn," he said to the group of fighters. The attack came more suddenly than they realized. They had expected his speed to be enhanced, but his movements were faster than even those of the Jin brothers. One minute, he was fifty feet away. The next, he was in front of them, moving as if he were sliding across the ground without really walking.

He swung upwards with both fists, his double Reppu Ken knocking both Terry and Mary backwards. Then, faster than the eye could blink, he swung downwards with his fists, generating another double Reppu Ken that slammed into Andy from the side, flinging him across the observatory. Joe attempted a roundhouse kick, but Geese vanished in a blur and suddenly appeared behind Joe. His own kick caught Joe in the back, knocking him into Mai and sending the both of them sprawling to the ground.

"As you can see," Geese said as he laughed over them, the scar on his chest glowing even more brightly. "My abilities are far beyond yours now. Beyond those of any mere mortal. After I've destroyed you, and reclaimed what is rightfully mine in South Town, I'll set my sights on a position more worthy of my new status as a god. I _have_ always wanted to tour the White House. Of course, I would let the president stay in power, but only as my puppet. And after that, who knows? Today, South Town, tomorrow, the world!"

The five comrades had regained their feet at this point. "Howard," Mary Ryan said to him. "I think I speak for all of us when I say: _FUCK YOU!"_ She jumped into the air and launched herself at Geese feet first, but Geese grabbed her leg with one hand, and nonchalantly threw her towards the side of the glass dome that surrounded them. Mai sprinted towards one of the trees that were growing throughout the conservatory, jumped up into its foliage, and used it as a launching point to leap up and grab Mary before she would have struck the glass.

Both women landed safely back on the ground. "Thanks, Mai," Mary said.

"Think you can live with yourself _now_?" Mai asked her with a smirk.

"If Geese has his way, I won't need to for much longer," Mary remarked, and then ran back towards the fight with Mai following close behind.

* * *

Andy, Joe and Terry tried to come at Geese from three sides to surround him. Moving with that same speed he'd displayed earlier, Geese slid across the floor through an opening between Joe and Andy. Andy spun on his heel, swinging his other leg out in a kick which Geese managed to duck. The younger Bogard then launched a flurry of attacks, all of which were swatted away by his opponent with no effort.

Joe came at Geese from behind, launching his own flurry of punches at the older man. Geese turned his body so that one fist was pointing in the direction of Joe, while his other was pointing at Andy. They tried to overwhelm him from two directions at once, but Geese was impassive, using his left arm to harmlessly deflect all of Joe's attacks, while his right arm deflected Andy's.

Geese was so busy with Joe and Andy, he was leaving his front and back exposed. Terry took that opportunity to hit Geese with his Crack Shot attack, spinning through the air with his heel slamming down against Geese's shoulder in a bright burst of chi energy. He tried to follow this up with an uppercut, but Geese grabbed his fist in mid-punch and then swung Terry to the side, slamming him into his brother.

Joe, who was still on his feet, did a flip backwards, and then after bracing his feet against the ground, swung his fist upward and launched a Hurricane Upper at Geese. The crime lord made no move to dodge the whirlwind that flew at him. It struck him head-on, but he seemed unfazed, standing in the middle of the cyclone that spun around him. He then clenched his fists, and emitted a burst of chi energy that dissipated the whirlwind.

Joe followed this up immediately by launching forward with a Slash Kick. Geese grabbed Joe's ankle before the kick could connect, then stood there, smiling coldly at the kickboxer while holding his leg in an iron grip. After a moment, he lunged with his other arm, slamming his palm into Joe's chest and sending him flying backwards.

Right after this, both Mai and Mary attempted to double team him, Mai with a flying kick from behind, while Mary came in low from the front. Geese pivoted his body so that Mai flew right past him and struck Mary instead, both women landing in a heap on the ground. He stood over them, intending to unleash a chi attack from his fists that would have peeled the flesh from their bones.

He was then hit from behind by Andy Bogard's Chou Reppa Dan attack. This jolted him slightly, which caused the energy from his fists to go wide, blowing a hole in the side of the glass dome. Andy then tried to land a punch to the back of Geese's head, but he turned with that same unnatural speed and grabbed Andy's fist. Andy latched his other hand onto Geese's right wrist, but found that he could not shake the crime lord's grip.

Geese smiled at Andy through clenched teeth and began to squeeze the younger man's fist. Despite his best efforts not to, Andy found himself crying out in pain.

" _KA-CHOU-SEN!"_ Came a cry from behind Geese, as Mai Shiranui launched three fans in rapid succession, each one charged with chi fire. While still keeping his grip on Andy, Geese used his other hand to swat the fans out of midair, his punches reducing them to powder. The kunoichi followed this up with her Houou No Mai attack. As she came within striking range, however, Geese tossed Andy aside, then grabbed her leg, completely unfazed by the fire that surrounded her, and swung her over his head, slamming her against the floor. She lay there, momentarily dazed by the blow.

He was about to deliver a killing strike when Andy sprinted in, snatched Mai up in his arms and rolled out of harm's way with her, right before Geese's foot came down with enough force to cleave a huge crack in the ground.

"My hero," Mai said softly to him after they came to a stop.

"I could say the same about you," Andy said with a small laugh.

Geese was quick to close in on them, however, then Mary came at him from behind and slammed her foot into his lower back. He turned and swung at her, bringing his fist up in a Reppu Ken, but Mary managed to dodge it by dropping flat on her back. She then scissored one of her legs upward between Geese Howard's legs, slamming the toe of her boot into his crotch.

Geese did not cry out from the blow, but Mary noticed that his body seemed to shiver. His teeth clenched, and a single drop of sweat ran down his cheek. Seizing the moment, she quickly regained her feet with a handspring, and started to batter his face with flurry of punches, her fists glowing bright with chi energy. After she had struck several blows, however, Geese recovered, and then proceeded to grab each of her wrists in mid-swing.

"I'd kill you this instant for that!" He snapped at Mary. "But you're lucky that I want Terry Bogard to _see_ you die." Mary did not respond, and instead gave him a small smirk of amusement. "You find this amusing?" Geese asked her.

"No," said Mary. "I find it amusing that the great, immortal Geese Howard is still vulnerable to a nut shot. Some god _you_ turned out to be."

Geese ground his teeth together, his expression suddenly growing cold, and smacked Mary with the back of his hand. A moment later, he was struck from the side, causing him to drop Mary.

Terry Bogard plowed into his adversary, his Burn Knuckle striking Geese Howard on the side of the head. Geese slid back several feet, and then moved forward in a blur of speed. Right when Geese was top on him, Terry slammed the ground in another Power Geyser. When the energy dissipated, however, he did not see Geese anywhere in sight.

He then heard a thunk on the tiled floor as his elder opponent landed behind him. Before Terry could turn however, he was blasted by a Reppu Ken that sent him flying across the conservatory. Geese was about to pursue him, when he found himself being attacked from opposite sides by Andy and Mai, Andy with his Zan-Ei-Ken, Mai with her Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi, the two of them trying to pincer their elder opponent.

* * *

Terry Bogard sat in the grass for a moment, and blinked rapidly, trying to shake off Geese's last attack. His Reppu Kens were definitely hitting a lot harder now. As he was about to get up, Joe Higashi appeared and offered him a hand. Terry accepted it and was pulled to his feet.

"We need to coordinate a stronger attack," Terry noted. "This random strategy doesn't seem to be doing much except draining _our_ energy faster than his."

"I agree," The Muay Thai kickboxer said as he and Terry raced back towards the fray. "If all five of us surround him and hit him with a concentrated attack at the same time, maybe that will finally get through his defenses."

"I could always try kicking him in the balls again," Mary said as she fell into step alongside the other two. "But your idea sounds like it would hurt him more."

They arrived back at the fight to find Mai on the ground rubbing her head, with Andy and Geese still going toe-to-toe a few yards away. Geese's hands were a blur as he swatted Andy's blows aside with little or no effort. He then delivered a kick to Andy's ribs that launched the younger Bogard into the air. As Andy was crashing back to the ground, Geese struck him again with a lunge punch that sent him flying several hundred feet.

"Mai! Andy! To us!" Terry shouted as he ran to help Andy to his feet, while Mary did the same for Mai. Soon the five fighters completely surrounded Geese Howard, who stood there with his arms open, as if he were daring them to make a move.

Terry raised one of his fists, the aura of chi glowing faintly around it, and cast a quick glance around at the others, indicating the glow. The others nodded in understanding, and began to gather their own energies.

The seconds ticked painfully by. Then, Terry cried out: " _Now!_ " He crouched suddenly and slammed his fist against the ground, sending a sizable Power Wave streaking towards Geese. At the same time, Andy unleashed a Hishou-Ken at Geese, while Mai did her Ryu En Bou, whipping the flaming tails of her fighting outfit directly at the crime lord, while Joe swung his fist upward and launched a Screw Upper.

The chi energy slammed into Geese from all sides, and for a moment the five comrades had to shield their eyes from the intensity of the blast as it appeared to consume him. As soon as the glow started to fade, Mary rushed at Geese, jumping up when she got within a hairs breadth of him, her knee striking his breastbone as she went airborne. When her feet were level with his head, she pincered her ankles around his neck and did a three hundred and sixty degree flip, spinning Geese around along with her and ending the move by slamming him against the ground.

Mary rose to her feet, a little shaky, and took a few steps back. A moment later, Geese Howard rose up as well, appearing unfazed by the intensity of their attack. The five fighters stared incredulously at one another.

 _Have the Jin Scrolls really made him this powerful?_ Terry thought to himself. _It can't be..._

Geese laughed coldly as he leaped to his feet. "Well, I've led you on for long enough," he said to them. "It's time to show you my real power." He clenched both of his fists then, and a faint crackle began to emanate from both them and the ground at his feet.

"Take cover!" Terry Bogard shouted to the others, and they began to sprint away, trying to put distance between themselves and Geese Howard.

They did not even hear Geese give out the signature cry that heralded his Raging Storm technique. A second later, their senses were overwhelmed by a brilliant green light, a deafening roar in their ears... and a pain unlike anything they had ever imagined.

To be continued...


	19. Chapter 18

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games or the anime.

* * *

 _Chapter Eighteen: True Strength of the Wolf_

After a minute that seemed like an eternity, the red finally began to fade from Terry Bogard's vision. He was lying on his back staring upward at a clear, unobstructed view of South Town's night sky. The dome that had covered the conservatory had apparently been completely obliterated by Geese Howard's attack.

Terry blinked, but even that slight movement caused spikes of pain to race through his body. He tried to sit up, but his muscles still did not seem to want to work. He managed to turn his head to the left, saw Andy and Mai lying several hundred feet away, slightly covered by debris. Their eyes were shut, but their chests still rose and fell with a steady rhythm of breathing, so at least that was a good sign. He turned his head to the right, but could not see Joe or Mary from where he was laying. Also, he realized that he did not see Geese, either. Terry took a deep breath and focused, trying to will away the fog of pain that hung over him. The sooner he got back to his feet, the better. Of course, he had no idea what the plan would be after he was standing again, but right now, it was one battle at a time.

* * *

"Andy?" Mai Shiranui called shakily, barely hearing her own voice over the roaring that still filled her ears. If Andy responded, she could not tell. Mai took a deep breath, was greeted with a fresh wave of pain that seemed to race along every nerve, but the pain was a mixed blessing. It told her she was still alive, and that all her extremities still worked.

She took another deep breath, silently reciting the calming mantra her grandfather had taught her to try and take her mind off the pain, and managed to sit up slightly, propping herself up on her elbow. From her new vantage point, she could see Andy lying close by. He appeared unconscious, but still alive. Mai started to use her other arm to try and drag her body towards her boyfriend, but she had gone only a few inches when she felt the toes of someone's foot lightly pressing against the top of her head. Her gaze moved upwards, to a familiar figure towering over her, dressed in a red hakama, the scar on his muscular chest still glowing brightly.

"If you'll recall, my dear," Geese Howard said mockingly to Mai. "I told you earlier you would need to make a choice. Have you?"

"Yes," said Mai. "I choose to watch _you_ die, after my friends and I kill you."

Geese shook his head, tongue clicking against the roof of his mouth in a _tch tch_ noise. "That was the wrong answer, my dear. So you have made the default choice. Your lover will now be forced to watch as you are very gruesomely violated before you are killed. But lucky for you, he has not woken up yet." He took his foot off of Mai's head, then moved out of her line of sight to another area of the roof.

After a few minutes of searching, Geese Howard managed to locate Mary Ryan, who was conscious and still trying to shake off the effects of the Raging Storm which had been greatly enhanced by the spirits inside of Geese. He grabbed her by her blond hair, yanking her roughly to her feet, and then wrapped a hand around each of her arms. "Terry Bogard!" He called out over the rooftop, his voice traveling farther now that the entire conservatory had been exposed to the night air. "Are you awake yet?"

Terry Bogard managed to sit up, though it still hurt to move. He turned his body in the direction of Geese Howard's voice, saw him standing a hundred feet away holding Mary in a more iron grip than before. He was also holding her in such a way that she would not be able to get the purchase she needed to throw him again.

"So glad you're up," Geese said with a cold laugh, his teeth bared in a malicious grin. "Because now you get to watch as another lover dies because of your failure."

"No!" Shouted Terry. The sight of Mary back in Geese Howard's clutches gave him the adrenaline boost he needed to shake off the pain and get to his feet. He took a step forward, but stopped when he saw Geese tighten his grip around Mary's arms.

"You're fast, Terry Bogard," he growled. "But not fast enough that you won't be able to stop me from ripping her arms off before you get over to us. From there, it'll take her only seconds to bleed to death."

"I don't blame you for this, Terry," Mary called over to him. "I told you, I made my choice to fight with you and your friends. And I don't regret a single minute of it."

Terry glanced around, saw that Mai, Andy and Joe were also getting to their feet, but he knew that they would not be able to get to Geese in time, either. "Geese, just tell me what you want!" Terry shouted. "I'll do anything! Just don't hurt her."

The brow above the crime lord's scarred eye raised slightly. "Anything?"

"Yes," said Terry.

Geese Howard laughed at him. "Then watch, as I end her!"

Geese was just about to start tugging at her arms, when suddenly, they heard a new voice cry out over the rooftop: "Wait!"

Geese paused, turned his head towards the source of the noise. He saw Jin Chonrei and Jin Chonshu standing not far away. They both appeared to have several familiar bamboo paper scrolls tucked into the belts of their Tang suits. Geese tossed Mary aside, his vendetta momentarily forgotten, and turned his rage upon the two brothers. "How did you get up here?" He snarled at them. "And where did you get those?"

"We made our own entrance," Chonshu said, pointing to a smoking hole in the floor between him and his brother.

"And once we were in the same building as our scrolls," Chonrei continued. "It was easy to sense where they were located. And your security was no match for us."

"You mean _my_ scrolls," Geese Howard said as he started towards Chonrei and Chonshu, his fists glowing with pent-up chi. "You're too late. The spirits of Qin Wang and Qin Kong are one with me now. I'll destroy you all without even breaking a sweat."

Chonrei did not show any signs of panic at Geese's impending wrath. Instead, he pulled the scroll from his belt and started to unroll it. "I think not," he said calmly. "You forgot the preservation mantra."

"What of it?" Geese spat at them. "I didn't bother having my men translate it, since there was no need. Unless you can read a twenty-two hundred year old dialect of Mandarin, and I doubt you can, you have no way of getting the spirits out of me."

Chonrei said nothing in response to this. Instead, he merely looked down at the scroll, and started to recite the words written on it, speaking flawlessly. His eyes took on that ethereal glow as he read.

Geese growled and tried to charge forward using his enhanced speed. Chonshu intercepted him, moving fast but not as fast as Geese, and delivered a lunge punch to the older man's solar plexus. Geese did not appear winded, and countered with a downward chop aimed at Chonshu's elbow. The brown-haired teen pivoted his body to the side, then lashed out again with his left arm, rocking his body forward into another lunge punch.

A short distance away, Terry, Andy, Mai, Joe and Mary watched what was happening, their minds quickly connecting the dots. "If that is the preservation mantra he's reading," said Andy. "It will draw the spirits out of Geese."

"You know what we have to do, then," said Terry. The comrades all nodded at one another and charged forward.

Just before they reached him, Geese succeeded in knocking Chonshu back with his Deadly Rave attack, and then started towards Chonrei again. He had only taken two steps when the other five fighters swarmed around him.

"Keep reading!" Terry called to Chonrei.

"We'll cover you!" Joe added.

Geese Howard, sensing his newfound abilities were in danger, fought like a madman. He seemed to be drawing on every ounce of strength he had, both from the spirits and from the scar, not holding back one inch in his power and speed. His opponents, meanwhile, focused everything they had, as well, having found their second wind with the arrival of the Jin brothers. Geese's speed gave him a slight edge, but his opponents continued to regroup as quickly as he knocked them away, as they had all found a new sense of purpose in this fight.

Mary fought for her family's honor, and for the long-forgotten senses of friendship and love that she had rediscovered through helping Terry and his friends. Joe fought for the family that had slowly become his own, ever since he'd befriended Andy all those years ago in Japan. Mai fought for satisfaction, for the slight that Geese had committed against her clan, and against the memory of Hanzo Shiranui, and she also fought for Andy Bogard, the man she loved and someday hoped to marry. Andy fought for the spirits of his father and his old master, and also to finally eliminate the threat of Geese, so it would no longer loom like a shadow over the woman that Andy had fallen in love with. Terry fought both for the people that Geese Howard had taken from him, and also for the family and friends still around him. If he died, he would die with no regrets, as long as those he cared about were safe.

Chonshu had regained his feet at this point, and raced back into the fight as well, his fists burning bright with fire as he fought to protect his brother, the only family he had left. Though their combined efforts were slowing Geese down, he was very gradually making his way forward towards Chonrei, who continued to read.

Finally, Geese slammed the ground with both fists, creating a small wave of energy that threw off all of his opponents. Now, with a clear line of sight between him and Chonrei, he charged towards the boy in a Jaieken move.

He got halfway before he stopped suddenly, as if he had slammed into an invisible wall. His body began to shake violently, rocked by large spasms. The six fighters watched as tendrils of mist began to rise out of Geese Howard, as if his body was on fire from within. Chonrei kept reading, almost to the edge of the scroll now, and the mist was pouring out of Geese more thickly. Finally, as Mai and Mary had seen down in the conference room, the mist coalesced into the shape of two men dressed in Terracotta uniforms. The spirits having been pulled from his body now, Geese sank to his knees, momentarily dazed. The glow seemed to have faded from both his eyes and also from the scar on his chest.

Having reached the end of the scroll, Chonrei quickly rolled it back up, gripped it in both hands, and then took a deep breath. His hands began to burn brightly with chi fire, a fire that started to consume the scroll. As the ancient document became ablaze, Terry and his friends could have sworn they heard what sounded like a cry of outrage from the two spirits hovering over Geese, or maybe it was only the wind. Finally, the scroll began to disintegrate into ashes that were blown away in the night breeze. As it did, so too did the phantoms of Qin Kong and Qin Wang vanish, the corporeal mist that made up their bodies seeming to dissipate and then fade from view.

Chonrei let a breath out through his nostrils, and turned to his brother. "Now the others, Chonshu." he said.

Chonshu seemed to hesitate. "We're sure this is the only way?"

"Yes," said Chonrei. "It's what the spirits within us want. They are tired of lingering, and the three scrolls you still carry are their only tie to this plane of existence. Besides, they always said that we were destined for something great. What is greater than helping to save the world?"

Chonshu gave a solemn nod, then pulled the three scrolls out of his belt, held them between his hands, and focused his chi energy just like his brother had done, causing the scrolls to burst into flame.

Geese Howard's head jerked up at this. "What have you done?" He hissed at the two boys. Then, as his rage took hold, he rose to his feet, shouting more angrily: " _WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"_

"Taken the spirits out of your reach," Chonrei said calmly, "And the reach of any others who might abuse their power. As we were meant to." As he spoke, the same tendrils of mist that seemed to rise out Geese a few moments ago were now rising from both Chonrei and his brother. They fluttered upwards like wisps of smoke, slowly dissipating in the night. As the last of the spirits left their bodies, the Jin brothers both collapsed to the ground.

Geese Howard was livid as he started towards Chonrei's unconscious body. " _I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!"_ He snarled, his face contorted into a mask of pure rage. He was almost on his quarry when Terry Bogard launched into a flying kick that struck the side of Geese's head. Terry then put himself between Chonrei and the crime lord, and raised his fists in a fighting stance.

"Andy, you and Mai get the Jin brothers out of the line of fire!" Terry called.

"Right," Andy said, scooping Chonshu's body up in his arms and racing off to the other end of the rooftop. As Terry went toe-to-toe with Geese, Mai slipped behind the elder Bogard, scooping up Chonrei and running off in the same direction as her boyfriend.

Terry launched at Geese with a Burn Knuckle attack, but Geese dodged it, lunged forward to grab Terry by the chin, and then flung him over his shoulder with one hand. Geese was hit almost immediately after this by Mary, her boot slamming into his belly. She followed this up with a kick from the opposite leg, but Geese pivoted his body to avoid it, and countered with a Reppu Ken that sent Mary flying backwards.

"You fools!" Geese shouted. "I may have lost the Jin Scrolls, but I still have enough power to kill all of you! While you've been wasting your energies, I've barely begun to fight. This scar has never fully healed, and it will still give me more than enough power to take my revenge on you, and then to regain control of this city!"

Even before they heard the familiar crackle of energy, Terry, Mary and Joe knew what was coming. "Take cover!" Terry shouted. The three fighters spotted a section of wall that was still standing somehow in the ruins of the conservatory, and managed to get behind it just a moment before Geese's Raging Storm attack ravaged the rooftop once more.

This time, the wall managed to screen them from the blast. A few moments later, they were joined by Andy and Mai, who had also managed to find cover.

"We put the Jins somewhere safe," said Andy. "It looks like Geese hasn't slowed down, despite losing the power of the spirits."

"Supposedly, it's because of his scar," said Joe.

"I wish we had a power source like that," Mai quipped. "My chi fire is almost tapped out."

"Fire..." they then heard Mary mutter. After a moment, she snapped her fingers. "That's it! Geese said that his power is coming from that chest scar, which has never fully healed."

Terry nodded at her as realization dawned on him. "So... we heal it for him!"

Mary gave him a smirk. "Right."

It took the other three a few moments to figure out what was happening. "Um... would you mind filling us in?" Joe asked.

"That scar on his chest is the source of his power," Mary explained. "Or so he claims. So that's where we hit him. You, Mai, and Andy all have fire-based chi abilities. So if you all use your hottest attacks against that scar, maybe we can cauterize it. Which might weaken him enough for us to end this."

Andy, Mai, and Joe all exchanged a brief, knowing glance. It seemed like their best hope. "But first, we need to get him into a position for us to hit him," Andy pointed out.

"Leave that to me," said Mary. "I don't really have a lot of fire in my attacks, but I can still line him up for you."

Terry reached over, put a hand on her shoulder. "No, Mary, it's too dangerous. I'll do it."

Mary shook her head. "You need to deliver the final blow. You're the only one here who knows the Sempu Ken, right?"

"Yes," Terry said. "But, I..."

"Terry, she's right," said Andy. "This is the best plan."

Mary reached over, took Terry's hand in her own. "I'm not gonna die, Terry," she said firmly, her green eyes locked on his blue. "I think I'm falling for you harder than I realized. So I refuse to do something stupid, like break your heart. Not tonight. Not ever."

For a moment, they gazed into each others' eyes. Then, they were interrupted by Geese Howard's cry of: "Come out and fight, cowards!"

Mary gave Terry a quick kiss on the lips, and then nodded at the other three fighters. "I'll set him up. Be ready to knock him down." With that, she jumped over the section of wall, and started towards Geese Howard.

Geese smiled coldly as he saw the detective walking towards him. "I'm glad it's you attacking me," he said to her. "Because I still haven't made Terry Bogard suffer enough."

Mary fixed her opponent with a cold glare. "Like I said earlier, Howard: _FUCK. YOU."_ Mary charged at him then, and as she had done in the warehouse, dropped her body into a sliding kick. Like last time, Geese fired a Shippu Ken, but this time Mary was ready for it. She rolled to the side, feeling the heat of the chi attack as it sliced past her, then launched herself forward again, slamming her foot into Geese Howard's knee. She followed this by swinging her other leg up hard, bringing the opposite foot into his crotch again.

This time, the former king of South Town doubled over and gave a small cry of pain. "Hey, it worked before," Mary said as she did a handspring to her feet. "So why not again?"

"You fucking bitch!" Geese snarled at her, his face contorting once more into a mask of unbridled rage, as if losing the Jin Scrolls had finally pushed him over the edge. "I'll kill you for that!"

"Talk, talk, talk," Mary spat at him in a mocking tone. Geese launched himself at her, fists and feet becoming a blur as he unleashed a Deadly Rave. As Mary hoped, the attack was uncoordinated, since Geese's anger was disrupting his focus. Mary blocked the attacks this time, countered with a spinning kick to his midsection. She then did a quick leap over him, and as she was coming down on the opposite side, turned and gripped him in a headlock.

Mary then began to spin in place, moving so fast she became a blur, twirling Geese Howard around her like a hammer as she continued to grip his head. Finally, she released him, sending him flying across the rooftop, closer to the edge of it.

She sprinted towards him as his body was hitting the ground, and she jumped up into another flying kick, but this time he was ready for her. He pivoted his body slightly, grabbed her leg just below the knee, and tossed her away. Mary landed on her feet and sprinted at him again, determined to keep him from moving too much.

* * *

From his vantage point, Terry Bogard watched nervously as Mary and Geese continued to exchange blows. Next to him stood Mai, Andy and Joe, who had been doing their best to draw in as much chi as they could, despite their depleted strength. "Come on, Mary," Terry whispered. "Get out of the way."

"Hit him!" They then heard Mary cry. Andy glanced over at Terry, saw his brother's fists clenched so tightly the knuckles were turning white.

"Don't worry about me!" Mary called. "Just do it now! I've set him up, now I'll keep him from moving!"

Geese Howard then ducked a high kick from her, saw an opening, and pressed his palm against the detective's breastbone. Seconds later, a burst of blue chi energy leaped from his hand and slammed into Mary at point blank range. The detective cried out in pain as she was flung backwards from the force of the attack. She landed in a debris pile several hundred feet away, and then was still.

Geese Howard took a deep breath, and then cracked his knuckles. "I hope you were watching that, Terry! One down! Now, which of your friends do you want me to kill next?" He threw his head back and began to laugh maniacally.

"Chou Shin Soku Zan Ei Ken!" Geese's laughter died suddenly as he saw Andy Bogard racing towards him elbow first, moving so fast he was almost a blur, an aura of bright blue flame surrounding his elbow.

"Chou Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi!" Mai Shiranui appeared alongside Andy, also flying towards Geese elbow-first, her body enveloped in psychokinetic fire.

Joe Higashi ran alongside them, and as they got within a few feet of Geese, he lunged forward with his knee, which also became enveloped in flame. "Tiger Kick!" He shouted.

Geese raised his arms to try and block, but as one, the attacks of Andy, Mai and Joe broke through his defenses and struck him dead center on the chest. There was a sizzle as the heat from their chi attacks seared his scar, which was followed by a burst of energy that flung the three fighters backwards.

For a moment, Terry Bogard stood there, hesitating. His blue eyes flicked to the pile of debris that Mary had landed in, saw no signs of movement. Then, he heard a faint shout from his brother, who lay nearby: "He's weakened, Terry. Finish him off!"

Terry's eyes then moved to Geese, saw that the crime lord did appear to be reeling from the combined attack. His legs shook, as if he were no longer steady on his feet. Terry Bogard charged at his nemesis, then unleashed a spinning kick that struck Geese in the jaw. He fell backwards, dangerously close to the edge of the roof. Terry quickly altered his stance, planting his feet shoulder-width apart and holding his arms out at his sides. He summoned every last ounce of chi that he could muster, then brought his arms forward swiftly, slapping his hands together.

" _SEMPU KEN!_ " Terry cried out as he unleashed the powerful Hurricane Punch on his opponent. The whirlwind of energy slammed into Geese Howard, battering his body from a hundred different directions at once. He was lifted off his feet, tossed violently around by the gale force of the winds. Then, like last time, he was spit out of the top of the whirlwind, and thrown several hundred feet into the air.

As he came back down, Terry saw that Geese was going to fall off the roof. He sprinted to the roof's edge, dove as he got close, sliding on his stomach the rest of the way, and managed to grab one of Geese Howard's arms with both hands right as Geese sailed past him. For a moment, they balanced precariously, Terry with his head and arms over the edge of the rooftop, looking down at Geese Howard's battered visage, Geese glaring up at his nemesis, his eyes filled with venom and hatred.

"Give me your other hand!" Terry shouted at him.

The crime lord's brow furrowed in confusion. "Is this a trick?"

"No trick," said Terry. "I'm losing my grip on you. You need to give me your other hand if you want to live."

Geese did not move. He kept his other arm at his side. "Why would you help me?"

"Because," said Terry. "Someone very special to me told me recently that our abilities do not make us better than the people who don't have them. If I didn't have a code of ethics, then I'd be a murderer, just like you. And I'm nothing like you. As tempting as it would be to see you splattered on the ground below, it would be even more satisfying to watch you spend the rest of your life rotting inside a reinforced cell in a maximum security prison."

Geese's dark eyes narrowed into slits. "You mean you wish to see me broken, humiliated, in a place where you can gloat over me until the end of my days? Very well, Terry Bogard. You want my other hand..." Geese's right arm shot up suddenly, and Terry saw the unmistakable blue glow of chi in his palm. " _Take it!_ "

Just in time, Terry managed to roll backwards, avoiding the attack, but in the process he was forced to let go of Geese. The former king of South Town made no sound as he dropped fifty stories. The only sound Terry heard was the moist crunch a second later, as Geese Howard's body struck the earth.

Terry got to his feet, surveyed the carnage of the rooftop conservatory. Joe appeared to be standing, leaning heavily against a piece of rebar jutting up through the floor, but otherwise he looked okay. Terry also saw Andy and Mai helping each other to their feet. The only person not accounted for was...

"Mary." His heart in his mouth, Terry Bogard ran to the pile of debris that Mary Ryan had been knocked into. He found her lying on her back, trapped under a large piece of drywall. Terry lifted the drywall and flung it off of her with no effort, but Mary did not move. Her green eyes were shut, and Terry couldn't tell if she was breathing or not.

"Mary!" He shouted as he got down on his knees beside her. She did not stir. "No," he whispered, his eyes starting to shine with tears he was just barely holding back. He reached down and took both her hands in his. "Mary, please wake up! I can't lose you now. I like being with you, you make me feel like there can be more to my life than fighting. I never thought I'd meet anyone else who could do that. Please! Please don't leave me like the others did. I need you..." He bowed his head. "Please. Please wake up..."

"T-terry," he heard her voice say faintly. She feebly raised one arm, motioned with her finger for him to come closer.

"Yes," Terry said as he leaned in. "I'm here, sweetheart. What is it?"

Mary sat up slightly, whispered in his ear: "Move. Your knee is pressing against my stomach." She sat up a little straighter, then, flashing him a look of annoyance. "And don't ever call me 'sweetheart'."

It was now obvious that Mary was going to be all right, but Terry still could not stop a few tears from falling down his cheeks, tears of joy that he had finally beaten his curse. _I did it,_ he thought as he got to his feet, offered Mary his hands. _I finally beat it._

Mary ignored his offer, and got to her feet on her own. She then noticed the tears on his cheeks, and reached out to wipe them away with her finger. "That's really not a good look for you, Bogard," she told him. "And where the hell is my jacket? I told you to watch it for me."

Terry blinked quizzically for a moment. "Oh, I um... left it at my hotel room."

"You _what_?" Mary snapped at him. For a moment, Terry gaped at her. Then her expression changed instantly, and she smiled. An actual smile, using both sides of her mouth. Terry Bogard decided that he'd never seen a more beautiful smile in his life. "Gotcha!" She said, and punched him playfully on the arm. "Man, you are easy. We'll need to work on that."

"We?" Terry asked her.

Mary stepped closer to him, wrapped her arms around his waist. "Terry, I still don't believe in curses. I'm not sure what your own thoughts on them are right now, but I think we've established that I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, I think we have," Terry said with a nod of agreement. He looked down at her, then, gazing into her green eyes. "Oh, Mary, I... I really think that I... that I might... I mean, what I'm trying to say is... you really are..." He continued to stumble over his words, finding he had so much he wanted to say but didn't know how. Mary finally silenced him by placing her finger gently against his lips.

"You talk too much, Terry," she said. Then she stood up on her toes, and kissed him. This time, Terry eagerly wrapped his arms around her, and returned the kiss, pressing his lips firmly to hers.

* * *

A short distance away, Joe Higashi finally felt strong enough to stand without using the rebar for support. He took a few steps towards Terry and Mary, but then stopped when he saw what they were doing.

"All right, Terry!" He shouted, pumping the air with his fist. A minute later, he felt a fan smack him in the back of his head. He turned, and saw Mai and Andy limping towards him, leaning against one another for support. Mai had ripped one of the tails off the back of her fighting outfit, and had fashioned it into a makeshift sling for Andy's right arm.

"Quiet, you jerk!" Mai admonished him. "Don't spoil the mood." She and Andy stepped up alongside Joe, and for a moment, the three were silent.

Then Joe asked her: "Um, Mai, can you make me one of those slings? I think I dislocated my shoulder."

Mai looked at him, saw the smirk on his face. Then she said casually: "Well, if you want, we can just pop it back in for you. Both Andy and I know how to do that." She reached out for his arm. "Here, let me see it."

Joe quickly shied away from her. "No, I was just kidding," he said quickly, and then waved his arm. "See, it's all right!"

Mai shook her head at him, then focused her attention back on Terry and Mary, who still had their arms around one another. The ninja girl's large brown eyes shone with happiness for the two of them. "Isn't that romantic, Andy?" She asked her boyfriend.

Andy did not reply. Instead, he used his good arm to hold Mai closer, then looked skyward, and said a silent prayer of thanks to whichever gods might have been listening that his brother would not have to endure the heartache of burying another lover. After a few minutes, Andy turned and started to make his way towards the edge of the rooftop.

Mai hurried after him, putting her arms around him. "Andy, you're still not steady enough on your feet yet. Where are you going?"

"I have to see his body," Andy said simply. "I need to be sure."

Moments later, both Andy and Mai were standing on the roof's edge, peering down at the marble courtyard below. They were soon joined by Joe, Terry, and Mary. The body of Geese Howard was on its back in the courtyard, his sightless eyes staring up at them. A bright flower of blood spread slowly out in all directions from under the crime lord, its deep red a stark contrast to the white courtyard stones.

"I don't think he's getting up from that one," Joe said after a long silence. "Looks like he's gone for good this time."

"It's finally over, then," Terry said. "We did it."

"You mean _you_ did it," Andy told his brother. "Just like last time."

Terry reached over, clapped Andy on the shoulder. "No, Andy, I couldn't have done it without my pack. If the rest of you hadn't weakened Geese, I'd never have landed that final blow. We _all_ did it."

"I guess," Andy said with a nod, but his tone was unconvincing. He then felt Mai smack him on the back of the head.

"Andy, listen to your brother," she told him sternly. "Tonight, we were all a team. Just accept it!"

"Oh, okay, Mai," Andy said. He then leaned in close to Mai, whispered in her ear: "I love you, but sometimes you drive me nuts."

"The feeling's mutual," Mai whispered back.

The five of them then realized that they'd forgotten all about the Jin brothers. They were reminded of this when they heard a faint voice from the other side of the rooftop, speaking in an old dialect of Mandarin. They followed the sound of the voice, and came upon Chonrei, who had another bamboo paper scroll open, and was reading the mantra upon it. Chonshu stood behind him, looking grim-faced.

As before, tendrils of mist rose from the black-haired teen's body and then coalesced into another phantasmal image of a man. This one did not look familiar to any of them.

To their surprise, the spirit then spoke to them in English: "Greetings. I am Lin Wuqiong, and I have waited a long time for this day."

"You speak English?" Terry asked the spirit.

"I speak many languages," Lin said with a nod. "For I have had five-thousand years to learn them."

The five comrades exchanged glances. "Then that must mean..." Andy started to say, but did not need to finish, as they all realized who Lin was.

"Yes, I crafted the first spirit scrolls about three thousand years before the Qin Dynasty. As you can imagine, I have continued to hone my craft even after I was kidnapped by Qin Kong and Qin Wang, and forced to craft the Jin Scrolls for them. I have learned how to move without a mantra of summoning, as well as how to go undetected by any other spirits who might be in the same body as me."

"You were inside Chonrei this whole time, then," said Joe. "Your intention was always to destroy the scrolls." He looked over at the black-haired youth, who simply nodded.

"That is true," said Lin. "As a sage, I was able to give him the insight to realize that the scrolls were too dangerous to be preserved, and that there will always be those who may try to abuse their power. It is not the first time, in my long life, that I have seen such things. Through the bodies of others, I have seen people use the spirits in a scroll for their own selfish ends. I have seen the destruction that ensues when a mantra is misread. So eventually, I decided to make it my mission to find all the spirit scrolls that still existed, and destroy them. I have had help from many different people down through the centuries. The Jin Scrolls were the final scrolls that needed to be destroyed. Now that it is over, I can go to my rest."

"Except... those weren't the final scrolls," Mary pointed out. "Chonrei still holds your preservation scroll, doesn't he?"

Lin nodded solemnly, and turned to the boy. "He does. Which is why I'm asking him to destroy it."

Chonrei exchanged a quick glance with his brother. "You are certain this is what you want?" He asked the spirit.

"Yes," said Lin Wuqiong. "Five thousand years is long enough for any man or spirit to inhabit this planet. It is time I finally see what lies beyond. Also, when I die, the knowledge of crafting spirit scrolls will die with me. Which is as it should be. Please, Jin Chonrei... set me free.

Chonrei looked down at the scroll in his hands, then took a deep breath and focused his chi. Fire leaped from his hands to the brittle bamboo paper and began to consume it. Hovering up above, the spirit of Lin Wuqiong shut his eyes, leaned his head back, and blew out what sounded like a sigh of relief. As the scroll burned to ash, his spirit dissipated into the night air.

For a few moments, everyone stood there silently. Their bodies ached, but they were content in the knowledge that now it was truly over. Finally, Terry Bogard asked the Jin brothers: "Why didn't you just tell us that this was your goal all along?"

"Like I said, we work best alone," Chonshu said with a shrug.

"Also, having seen what we've seen in our lives, we do have trust issues," Chonrei added.

"Well, we know what that's like," Terry said. "So... what will you do now?"

Chonrei rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "We will return to China, but other than that... we don't know. We have no other living family, and the spirits of our ancestors are finally at rest. I guess... We hadn't thought that far ahead as to what we'd do afterwards."

"Hm." Terry thought for a moment, then turned to his brother. "Andy, didn't you tell me that Master Tung used to rent space at a temple in China? You think his rooms there might still be available?"

"We can check," said Andy. "But the elders might need a little persuasion in order to let the Jin brothers stay. Last time me and Mai were there, we... sort of trashed the outside of their temple."

"Technically, it wasn't us," Mai added.

Terry turned back to the Jins. "Anyway, one of our master's old friends still lives in the Chinese district of this city. We can reach out to him tomorrow if you want, see if he can get in contact with the temple elders."

Chonshu straightened a little, and bowed his head. "If the elders will take us in, we would be honored to learn from them. Right, Chonrei?"

"Yes," Chonrei agreed. "Thank you, Terry Bogard."

Terry smiled, and bowed back to them.

"Hey, guys," Mary interjected. "We should probably think about moving down to the ground now. I'm sure that someone saw the roof of this building blow up, which means that the police will be on their way."

"Right," said Terry. The seven of them then started moving across the roof towards the "entrance" that the Jin brothers had made, glad to finally be departing.

To be continued...


	20. Chapter 19

**Fatal Fury: The Vengeful Spirits**

by

RobertCop3

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games or the anime. "Learning to Live" is written Kevin Moore, John Myung, James LeBrie, Mike Portnoy, and John Petrucci, and is copyright ATCO Records. I'm posting this fic for free, and make no money off of it.

* * *

 _Chapter Nineteen: Ready to Live_

By the time the first patrol car arrived at Geese Tower, Terry Bogard and his friends were long gone, as were the Jin brothers. Chonrei and Chonshu had been offered a ride, but declined, saying that they would be in touch with Terry in the near future, and left the scene on foot.

Mary Ryan had chosen to stay behind and run damage control again, and the police found her sitting on the steps outside the front entrance to the tower, with the body of Geese Howard nearby. A small part of Mary had kept expecting Geese to rise up from the ground once police started to show up, but it never happened. Nor did it happen when the men from the coroner's office arrived, outlined the body, then placed it in a bag and lifted it onto a gurney. When the bag was zipped shut, it truly sank in. He was actually dead this time.

When the paramedics showed up, Mary allowed herself to be taken to their ambulance and looked over. She sat on the rear fender as the paramedics did their job, and watched as more police cars showed up to surround the building; watched as a large van pulled up, and a squad of men dressed in helmets and tactical vests armed with semi-automatic weapons spilled out of the back of it, and swarmed into the building. She was watching them begin to escort Geese Howard's men out and load them into another van when Inspector Bowers finally got to the scene.

"Ryan!" He snapped when he saw the detective. "What are you doing here?"

"Bleeding, sir," Mary said, indicating the gash on her upper left arm which was currently being dressed by an EMT.

"I mean, why are you here at all?" Bowers snapped at her, with that annoyed look on his face.

"Why do you ask?" Mary fired back at him. "Were you expecting Geese Howard to kill me? I assume that's why you arranged that meeting between me and my informant as a way for Geese to kidnap me."

Bowers shook his head. "Oh, don't start this shit again," he growled.

"Long time, no see, Inspector!" Came a voice from behind Bowers. The inspector turned, saw a man dressed in a black suit, tie and black fedora walking towards him, hands in the pockets of his suit jacket. He had short brown hair and a brown goatee.

"Agent Kaminsky," Bowers said with a nod, trying to keep his tone cordial, and failing to do so.

"Agent Winters, actually," the man said, and pointed to another man walking up to the ambulance, dressed in an identical black suit and fedora, also with a brown goatee. "That's Kaminsky."

"I'm a little offended you don't remember us, Steve," Kaminsky said to the inspector. "We spent so much quality time together when we were investigating you." He then pointed at the inspector's nose, which had a large bandage taped over it. "You're looking good, by the way."

"What are you doing here?" Bowers asked him.

"We heard over the radio chatter that a man matching Geese Howard's description took a dive off the roof of Geese Howard's old headquarters," Winters explained. "Which is pretty impressive, since Geese Howard was supposed to have died three years ago. So we wanted to come see for ourselves." He then glanced over Bowers's shoulder, saw Mary sitting on the bumper of the ambulance. "Oh, hey, Detective Ryan. Good to see you again."

"Winters," Mary said with a polite nod. "Always a pleasure."

"Her title of 'detective' is currently in question," Bowers told the two agents. "She's supposed to be suspended."

"Than what's she doing here?" Kaminsky asked Bowers.

"Long story," Mary told the men. "I was following up on a lead the other night..."

"Doing police work?" Bowers cut her off.

"Were you there?" Winters snapped at the inspector. When Bowers did not answer, the agent went on: "Then let her finish."

"Thanks, sir," Mary said. "Technically, I wasn't doing police work, because I was working on a closed case. Geese Howard has been a hobby of mine since I moved here. I never bought the department's official record, since they never found a body. So I've been investigating the Howard case in my free time, whenever I was off-duty. That's what I was doing when one of my informants said that he wanted to meet me. Turns out it was a set-up. When I got to the meeting place, a man who looked a lot like Geese Howard had an accomplice armed with a rifle kill my informant, and then he beat me unconscious.

"When I woke up, I was tied to a chair in one of the conference rooms in this building. I don't know how long I was there when I heard noises through the ceiling, like there was a war going on above me. Several minutes later, the noises stopped. Several minutes after that, three or four people, I didn't get clear looks at their faces, came into the room and untied me. They carried me down to the lobby and left me there. That's when I called 9-11. When I got outside, I saw Geese Howard's body. And that's my story. Same statement I gave to the first cops on the scene."

The agents nodded, and then walked over to the ambulance next to the one Mary sat on, which had come from the coroner's office. The gurney had not been loaded yet, and Kaminsky pulled on a latex glove and unzipped the black bag. Both men whistled low as they examined the body inside.

"The scar is a dead giveaway," said Winters. "But I'm sure the dental records will tell us for sure." He zipped the bag back up, and then he and his partner rejoined the detective and inspector.

"So, once again, you didn't see their faces?" Bowers asked Mary.

Mary nodded, and then indicated the bruises on her arms, stomach, and her left cheek. "Geese and his men have been beating me since I regained consciousness, sir. I was disoriented when my rescuers came, so no, I didn't see their faces. Next time I'm kidnapped, I'll ask them not to beat me."

"Hell of a story," said Agent Kaminsky. "Any ideas as to who might have wanted to set you up?"

Mary shook her head. "The main thing I'd like to know is how they got my informant's personal info. There's only a few people who knew that I kept that info in encrypted files on my office computer. One of them, Commissioner Hurst, was blown up a few days ago. That just leaves the man I reported directly to..."

"Oh, this is ridiculous!" Bowers snapped at her. Then, he turned to the agents and said: "She has been accusing me of working with Geese Howard since I suspended her."

"Because you have been!" Called a familiar voice. Bowers turned and saw both Hopper and Ripper standing outside one of the police vans with their hands cuffed behind their backs. Winters and Kaminsky were also looking at the two henchmen, their curiosity clearly piqued. "I hacked the detective's computer," said Ripper. "I gave the inspector the identity of Ryan's informant. He set up that meeting as a trap so Mr. Howard could kidnap her."

"Get them out of here!" Bowers snapped to the officers escorting the two men, but Agent Kaminsky raised his hand.

"Not so fast, Steve," he said, and then walked over to Hopper and Ripper. "You willing to testify to that under oath?" He asked them.

"We won't say yes or no until after we've spoken to our attorney," said Hopper.

"Yeah, we'll probably be willing to talk, but first we want to cut a deal," Ripper added.

"That's up to the DA," said Kaminsky. "But I'm sure he'll be in touch with you after I speak to him." He then said to the police escort for Geese's lackeys: "Okay, _now_ you can get them out of here."

He turned and walked back to rejoin his partner, and Bowers. "I'm sure there's a rational explanation for this, Steve," Kaminsky told the inspector. "Perps shout all sorts of things when they're being taken away, in order to try and sow dissent among our ranks."

"Yeah, we see this all the time in police work," Winters said. "Except... this isn't the first time these allegations have been brought against you."

"So until we get to the bottom of it," Kaminsky went on, "We're gonna call in Captain Robertson to take over clean up down here. You should probably go home."

Bowers cast a quick glance over at Mary, who simply shrugged. He turned and started to walk away, when he heard Winters call after him: "Oh, and Steve: I'm sure the investigation won't turn up anything, just like last time. But just until we do get this sorted out..." He held his hand out. "You know the drill."

The inspector did his best to ignore the look of satisfaction that Mary fixed him with as he gave Agent Winters his badge, then pulled his gun out, popped out the clip, and handed that over as well. After he had stormed off, the two agents turned back to Mary Ryan.

"How you feeling?" Winters asked her.

"Better, now that I saw that," Mary answered. "You know, I think it's a good bet he'd be a flight risk."

"We figured," said Winters. "So we'll be sure to have a man watching him."

"Look, detective," said Kaminsky. "Once word gets to the press that Geese Howard wasn't really dead these last three years, there's gonna be a huge media shit storm. We'll need all hands on deck to deal with the fallout. How soon can you come back to work?"

Mary rubbed the back of her neck. "I'd start right now, if I didn't feel like I've just been run over by a whole convoy of Mack trucks."

The two agents nodded. "Understandable," said Winters. "Well, after the paramedics are done with you, go home and get some rest. Report back to the thirty-seventh as soon as you feel you're ready."

"Thanks," Mary said. The two agents nodded again, and then left. The EMTs finished their work shortly after that, and Mary managed to bum a ride from a patrolman back to the hotel that Terry and his friends were staying at. She did not go back to her room, instead went straight to Terry Bogard's room and knocked at the door.

Terry answered wearing only his jeans. "Can I come in?" Mary asked him.

Terry gave her a warm smile. "I'd like that," he said.

Mary entered and shut the door behind her. She looked around, saw her jacket hanging on the chair behind the desk. "Thanks for taking care of this," she said as she gave it a small pat on the collar. "I told you I'd be back for it. How's everyone else holding up?"

"I just came from the bar," said Terry. "Joe and I had a celebratory drink together. I think he's still down there, hitting on singles. Mai and Andy went back to their room not long after we got here. She's probably playing 'nurse' with him right now."

"Probably," Mary said with a nod. She then crossed over to the bed and sat down gratefully on it. "I know this sounds like a flimsy excuse," she said as she pulled her boots off, and then stripped down to her bra and panties. "But I really do have a headache tonight. You'll understand if all I wanna do right now is sleep." She smiled at him, and slipped under the covers.

Terry laughed and took off his jeans. "I'm okay with that. I have a headache, too." He paused for a moment beside the bed. "Um, Mary... what I meant to say earlier..."

"I know, Terry," she said to him. "I know how you feel. We have all the time in the world to talk later. But for now: just come to bed."

"Gladly," Terry said, and slipped under the covers, his head sinking onto the pillow. Mary quickly curled up next to him. Terry put an arm around her, and reached over and turned off his bedside lamp. Within seconds of Terry shutting off the light, they were asleep in each others' arms. For the first time in months, Terry slept soundly, without any nightmares.

* * *

 _Two weeks later..._

 **South Town Cemetery**

 _The way your heart sounds  
Makes all the difference  
It's what decides if you'll endure the pain that we all feel  
The way your heart beats  
Makes all the difference  
In learning to live_

 _Spread before you is your soul  
So forever hold the dreams within our hearts  
Through nature's inflexible grace  
I'm learning to live..._

The words stopped suddenly as Terry Bogard reached over and switched off the car radio. In the back seat, Mai Shiranui pouted slightly. "Aw, it was just getting to the good part."

"Well, we're almost there, anyway," Andy pointed out. Shortly after he said that, Terry parked their rental car down the street from the gates, close to the curb, and the five comrades got out and walked the rest of the way.

Terry Bogard and Mary Ryan were out in front, walking hand in hand. A few paces behind them were Andy Bogard and Mai Shiranui, also walking hand in hand, and behind them was Joe Higashi. Though the procession was a solemn one, inwardly they were relieved to be outside. Terry, Andy, Joe and Mai had spent most of the past two weeks holed up in Terry Bogard's apartment, having checked out of their hotel the morning after their fight with Geese. They had tended their wounds and waited for the media circus surrounding Geese Howard's return and subsequent "second death" to die down a little. Mary, back at work with the South Town Police Department, continued to pass on news that she thought they'd find interesting. It seemed her job had gotten more eventful lately.

Billy Kane was still at large, but the police had most of Geese Howard's other men in custody. Now that he was truly dead and no longer a threat, all of them had wanted to cut deals with the District Attorney. Hopper and Ripper, along with their lawyer, had a very long and meaningful chat with the DA's office. The two of them told of how Geese had coerced the mayor's office, how Inspector Bowers had aided and abetted Geese with kidnapping a police officer (as well as compromising security at the tournament to allow Ripper to set the bomb), and also provided several locations where Geese stored the items he had stolen down through the years.

As Bowers had played a part in her kidnapping, Mary Ryan was sadly unable to personally slap the cuffs on her boss. But she was at least present when the inspector was taken away, and even more important to the detective, the writings that Geese had stolen from her grandfather had been found at one of the storehouses searched by police, and would soon be back in her hands. Mary had been unable to stop herself from shedding a few tears of joy when she'd called her grandfather to tell him the news.

It had been a restless few weeks for those who hadn't been able to venture outside. Now, at last, several media outlets had started to focus on a new "flavor of the week," and so Terry and his friends finally felt it was safe to get back into the world. Before arriving at the cemetery, they had stopped at the airport where they had dropped Jin Chonrei and Jin Chonshu off. Master Tung's old friend had helped book the two brothers a flight back to China, and after they landed, they were going to meet with an acolyte from the Ryu-Oh Temple, who would escort them the rest of the way to their new home.

The group passed through the heavy iron gates of the cemetery, and proceeded along the dirt path cutting between the rows of gravestones, making their way to the plot where Jeffrey Bogard and Master Tung Fue Rue both lay at rest. Terry, Mary and Joe were dressed in their usual street clothes, but Mai had insisted that she and Andy dress up for the occasion, as it was the first time she was seeing her boyfriend's father. The last time they were here, in order to place Sulia's gravestone, they had been unable to pay Jeff a visit.

Andy definitely looked uncomfortable in the pressed slacks, off-white button down shirt and black tie that Mai had selected for him. Mai herself was in a black dress, which was cut more tastefully than her dresses usually were (the hem of the skirt was past her knees, and the neckline was high enough that it did not display any cleavage), and had pulled her hair up into a bun instead of the usual ponytail. She also had a bouquet of white carnations tucked under one arm. Terry, meanwhile, had three long-stemmed roses tucked into his belt, stripped of their thorns.

Finally, the group stepped off the path and onto the grass, making their way respectfully past the headstones in their way, careful not to step directly in front of any of them. After a few more minutes, they came to a headstone with the name JEFFREY BOGARD inscribed in it. Right next to it, connected to the same marble base as Jeff's, was another stone that had Master Tung's name written on it in Chinese characters.

The five friends stood in a semi-circle around the grave, their heads bowed respectfully. For a while, no one said anything or moved. Then Mai got down on one knee, reverently placed the bouquet she was holding at the base of the headstone.

 _It's nice to finally meet you, Mr. Bogard_ , she said silently to the stone. _I'm sorry I wasn't able to the last time we were here. Andy didn't talk much about you when we were growing up, but when he did, it was usually a reference to something you taught him and Terry. You did a great job with them. Andy is a wonderful man, and I love him with all my heart. I'll take good care of him. I promise._ Mai then got up from the ground and rested her head on Andy's shoulder.

After Mai had gotten up, Mary got down on one knee, her head still bowed. _You must have been a really great man, sir,_ she thought silently. _Terry was only in your care for a few years, and after you were killed, he and his brother spent ten whole years training to avenge you. For them to spend that long training to avenge a man not related to them by blood... when we first met, Terry told me that you_ were _his father. So you must have been special._ She crouched there for another few minutes, then reached into the pocket of her green jacket, pulled out her fingerless fighting gloves, and laid them next to Mai's bouquet.

She stood up then, and Terry put an arm around her. "Cute," he said to her, indicating her offering.

Mary shrugged. "Your dad was a warrior. I think he'd appreciate that more than flowers." Then, she turned and quickly said to Andy's girlfriend: "Um, no offense, Mai. The carnations _are_ pretty."

Mai giggled. "It's okay, Mary. I know you're not into girl stuff. We'll work on that."

Joe, who had been standing in front of the graves with his head bowed and hands folded in front of him, suddenly looked up. "Um, ladies... I think maybe we should give Terry and Andy some alone time." He then turned and started back towards the dirt path.

"Right," Mai said with a nod. Then she kissed Andy on the cheek. "We'll be waiting by the gates. Take all the time you need."

"Yeah," Mary added, patting the back of Terry's hands. "We're in no hurry." She and Mai then followed Joe.

When they were gone, the Bogard brothers each got down on one knee in front of the grave. "Dad... Master..." Andy said out loud. "It took longer than we originally planned, but we finally settled the score. I... I hope you don't think less of us that we didn't do it right the first time."

"Don't listen to this idiot, pop," Terry said. "We both know that you and Master Tung wouldn't care how long it took us. Like you always said, if at first you don't succeed..."

For a while, the two of them were silent. Then Andy said: "You know, the day Master Hanzo was buried, Mai said something that stuck with me. She told me that she didn't seem to think it was fair that she had me for emotional support during her loss, when I didn't have anyone to cry on when Dad was buried."

"She's a good woman," Terry said simply. "I'm glad you realized your true feelings for her."

"Yeah," said Andy. "But what I was getting at... I was startled she'd say something like that. She had every right to think of herself in that moment, having just buried the last member of her family she really felt close to, but she cared enough to think about my own loss, even though it happened before she ever knew I existed. I was so surprised by that, the only thing I could think to say in response was that I... didn't cry much at Dad's funeral. I really only felt anger. Anger at Geese for killing him, anger at the police for turning a blind eye to the crime, anger at myself for being unable to do anything to stop it, anger at a higher power for finally giving us a man we could proudly call our father, and then taking him away so soon after it felt like we'd finally found a real home. I just... felt angry. Too angry to cry. Do you think Dad would have been ashamed of me for that?"

Terry reached over and clapped his brother on the shoulder. "You felt angry because you loved him. We both did. We just had different ways of showing it. But even if we didn't always know how to express ourselves, he knew that we loved him. I don't think he ever doubted that."

For several minutes, they sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts and memories. Then Terry got up and announced: "Um, Andy, is it okay if I take a walk?"

Andy knew exactly where Terry wanted to go, so he replied: "Yeah, I'll be fine. I know you want to see them. Go on."

"Thanks," Terry said. He pulled one of the roses out of his belt and laid it in front of the marble gravestone, then he walked off to another corner of the cemetery.

When Terry got to the graves of Lily and Sulia, he noticed, as usual, that the grounds keepers had been neglecting them again. He was glad that his friends had found a quiet corner of the cemetery for the two women, but it was apparently too quiet, as the staff didn't seem to think it was worth their time to come out so far. Terry took a few moments to brush the dried leaves off the tops of the stones and pull up some of the larger weeds. Then he took the other two roses out of his belt and placed one in front of each headstone.

"Hey, ladies," he said softly to their graves with his head bowed. "I'm sorry I haven't been out here lately to do the grounds keeper's job for him, but I've been busy these last few weeks. You probably know a little about it. Lily, I finally got you justice. I'm sorry I didn't check to make sure he was dead the first time. But... there's something else I need to tell you both. In the last few weeks, I've met someone. I only wanted us to be friends, but... I've learned that what I feel might be stronger than that. I also... don't feel as afraid of that as I used to. I really hope you don't think that means that I've forgotten what you meant to me..."

"We don't, Terry."

Terry's head came up suddenly, heart beating a little faster. Standing between the gravestones, he saw the faintly glowing apparition of Lily McGuire, a vision in her white dress. She smiled warmly at him, a smile that seemed to make her spirit glow even brighter.

"I... I never thought I'd see you again," Terry said as he stepped closer to her. "I hadn't seen you for months... and then I had that dream recently... that nightmare... that you were in."

Lily shook her head. "That wasn't us you saw in your dream, Terry. Those were just phantoms created by your tormented mind. We love you. We would never leave, not without seeing you one last time. You have no idea how much I wanted to speak to you... how we both did. But your heart was still in too much turmoil. Seeing us wouldn't have eased your pain. It would only have made it worse. But... you're in a better place now. We can sense it."

"You keep saying 'we,'" said Terry. "You don't mean...?"

"Yes," Lily answered. "She's waiting to speak to you. But I told her that I had seniority. I knew you first, after all."

Terry laughed. "Still the same Lily. I've missed you."

Lily smiled again, motioned to the grove of trees behind her. "Walk with me."

The two of them walked side-by-side through the trees, the late afternoon sun slanting downward through cracks in the foliage over their heads. It felt almost pastoral to Terry, much more relaxing than it had been the last time he'd been back among these trees.

"Terry, I have something I've been meaning to tell you," Lily finally said to him.

"What is it?" Terry asked her.

"You know what we meant to each other," said Lily, "And I know how a part of you still wishes things could have been different. As much as I wanted us to be together, I knew there was a good chance it would end badly for me. Which is okay, because a part of me felt that I didn't deserve a happy ending."

Terry turned to face her, then, his mouth agape. After a few moments, he managed to close it, and then ask her: "What are you taking about?"

Lily sighed heavily. "Terry, I did a lot of bad things before I met you."

"That never mattered to me. I knew that wasn't who you really were. I saw your true face, remember?"

"You did," said Lily. "But that doesn't change or excuse the fact that I did bad things. Even when I didn't actually do them, I _saw_ a lot of bad stuff, working for Geese, and I was complacent. I never had the strength to stand up and say it was wrong. Until I met you. When I chose to help you, I knew there was a very good chance I wouldn't make it out of that stadium, and I was okay with that. One or two good deeds wasn't enough to erase what I'd done with my life up until then. Like I said before, however brief it was, you made me feel alive, and I'll always be grateful that you gave me that, even if I wasn't able to share that life with you."

"It still hurt so much to lose you, though," said Terry.

Lily's ethereal hand reached down, hovered over Terry's, and Terry felt a sudden warmth settle over his arm. "I made a choice, Terry. I could have gone down that ladder anytime I wanted to. I _chose_ to let you and your friends climb down ahead of me because at that moment, your lives were more important to me than my own. That was my choice. I don't regret helping you, and I don't regret having known you. So please don't regret what happened to me. Remember it, and honor that memory, but don't regret it. I was happy to do what I did for you."

For a while, they were silent, gazing into each others' eyes. Then Lily asked him: "Does she make you happy?"

Terry knew who she was talking about. "I... think she does."

"Good," said Lily. "I like her, Terry. I was dead inside until I met you. You were the one who gave me my strength, and my passion. She didn't need you to do that for her. She found those things herself, long before she met you. You helped her realize that those things were still dormant inside of her, but you never needed to give her strength. You two are good for each other. And if she makes you happy, then I'm happy. And always will be."

Lily reached up, then, laid both of her hands on Terry's shoulders, touching him but not really. Terry felt that warmth again, like the light of love was radiating from Lily's spirit into his body. "I don't know if or when I'll see you again," she said as she slowly became more transparent, began to fade from view. "But just because you won't see me, it doesn't mean I'm not there. Think of me fondly whenever you see a rose. I'll probably be close by."

"I will," Terry said. "Goodbye, Lily."

"Not goodbye," Lily said, as she continued to fade. "Not ever." Then she vanished.

Terry looked around eagerly, expecting to see another spirit come into view. Several minutes passed, and nothing happened. He felt only the breeze moving through the grove, heard only the buzz of insects. So Terry made his way out of the stand of trees and back to the graves. As he emerged from the trees, he saw the spirit of Sulia Gaudeamus standing in front of her headstone, smiling that same warm smile as Lily.

"Hi, Terry," she said.

"Hi," Terry managed to say to her. "You look good."

"Spirits don't exactly age," Sulia said with a shrug.

"Sulia, I..." Terry started to say, then he turned his gaze towards the ground, suddenly thinking that he was not worthy to even look at her. He had wanted to see her spirit for so long, had been hoping for it ever since the Dead Sea incident, and looking at her now... he was reminded only of his failure to help her, to help her brother. What could he possibly say to her?

Sulia's spirit seemed to sense this, and moved over to his side. Terry felt a sudden warmth on his shoulder, looked up and saw Sulia's hand hovering over it. Sulia's golden eyes seemed to shine from within as she said: "It wasn't your fault, Terry."

Terry sank to his knees, tears running down his cheeks. Gradually, he became aware that Sulia was kneeling alongside him. He felt that same pleasant warmth as her arm now hovered around both his shoulders. "Oh, my sweet, brave wolf," Sulia said to him. "Please stop blaming yourself, because I never have. Not for a second. I saw how the armor had poisoned Laocorn's mind. I saw you and you friends nearly getting yourselves killed trying to stop him. I knew that he eventually would have succeeded in destroying all four of you, and then once he got out of the temple... killing every man, woman and child on earth wouldn't have been enough to satisfy his desire for revenge. So I made a choice. I chose to help save my brother, my friends, the world, and the man that I loved... and I've never regretted it."

Terry's blue eyes still shone brightly with tears. He wanted to say that it hadn't mattered, he had gotten her brother out of the armor after Sulia had stabbed herself, but Laocorn had still died not long after, so it had all been for nothing. Sulia seemed to sense this. She moved her other hand underneath Terry's chin, sending more of that pleasant warmth flowing through him. "Terry, we may not have saved Laocorn's life, but we saved his soul. Even if it was only for a few minutes, he _was_ my brother again before the end. And don't forget that he made a choice, too. If he hadn't, your own brother wouldn't be here today."

Terry started suddenly. He remembered Andy telling him about that not long after the battle had ended, how Laocorn had thrown himself between Andy, Mai, and the god of war. It was funny how Terry had never stopped to think about that. Why hadn't he?

Sulia's spirit laughed a little. "I'm not surprised it took you so long to make that connection. You have an annoying habit of being too hard on yourself when you think you've lost. I wish you wouldn't. It's one of the reasons I had to wait so long to see you."

She laughed some more, then, her laughter sounding so musical, that Terry could not help but laugh along with her. After they had laughed together for several minutes, Terry rubbed his eyes with the backs of his hands until the tears stopped.

"It's good to hear you laugh again," said Sulia.

"It's good to hear you, too," said Terry, reaching over and placing his hand over Sulia's cheek, his fingertips just passing through it. "It's good to see you. I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too, Terry," her spirit replied. "Every day since I had to leave you. You have no idea how much it hurt me to see you torturing yourself these last several months, convincing yourself that you were cursed, that you had somehow failed me. But like Lily said, you're in a better place now."

"I haven't had any nightmares since the night Geese died," Terry said with a nod. "But a part of me still feels guilty, that I still have to go on, but you're not here to do the same."

Her smile faded, then, and Sulia's expression grew more serious. "Terry, if you ever loved me, promise me that you'll do something."

"Of course," Terry told her. "Anything. Just name it."

She reached out, then, her ethereal hands hovering over his. She smiled at him, and the light within her eyes seemed to burn like the sun as she spoke: "Promise me that you'll live. Not in the past, but in the present. Promise me you'll no longer dwell on what might have been, because you still have so much life left, so much to give the world. Don't squander that life by looking back. And if you see a chance to be happy, promise me you won't be afraid to take it. You'll grab it with both hands, and you'll hold onto it tightly, for as long as you can, and you make that person as happy as you made me."

Terry smiled at her. "I will, Sulia. I promise."

Sulia leaned in, then, her lips brushing gently over Terry's. Even though they did not actually touch in the physical sense, Terry still felt a blessed, soothing warmth overtake him, almost as if it were penetrating his soul. He shut his eyes and felt it flow through him. After a moment, he opened them again, saw the spirit of Sulia smiling even more brightly at him.

"I don't know if you'll see me again after this," she said. "But it doesn't mean I'm gone. The people you love are never gone, as long as you remember them. So please: remember me in the right way, without any regret."

"You have my word," Terry said, his eyes once again glistening, this time with tears of happiness.

"And also: promise me you'll still come back to visit every now and then. You're a better grounds keeper than the man who actually gets paid to do it."

Terry laughed again. "You know I will."

She was starting to fade from view, now, and Terry reached out, placed his hands over hers. He looked her in her gentle golden eyes, determined to burn into his memory how she looked right at this moment.

"I'll always love you, my wolf," Sulia told him. "Please... _live_ , Terry Bogard." Then, she was gone.

Terry bowed his head and began to cry. After a few minutes, the tears had stopped, and Terry felt a sense of peace overtake him, as if the last of his lingering guilt had flowed out with those tears. He stood up, took his cap off, and placed it gently between the two headstones.

"I'll never forget you two," he said to the graves. "Or the promises I made today."

After another moment, Terry turned and made his way back to Jeff Bogard's grave. He was surprised to see Andy still kneeling there, with his head in his hands. And... was it his imagination, or was his brother actually sobbing softly? Terry said nothing, simply kept his distance until it looked like Andy was finished. Then he stepped over to his brother's side, offered Andy a hand. "You okay, Andy?" He asked.

Andy blinked several times, as if he was surprised. Then, he wiped his eyes, and accepted the hand. "Yeah... I actually am," he said as he got to his feet. "Are you okay?"

"Never been better," Terry said with a laugh as the two of them started back towards the dirt path. Andy noticed that Terry _did_ seem to be in much higher spirits than he was when they had gotten here. Whatever had happened at Lily and Sulia's graves, it had clearly given him closure. But Andy decided not to press it further. He simply nodded, and the two walked on in silence.

When they got close to the gates, Andy turned his head to face his older brother. "My arm should be good as new again in another day or two. As soon as it is, you know we'll need to have another match."

Terry clapped him on the back. "I was waiting for you to say that."

Their women were waiting for them at the gates to the cemetery, along with Joe. Mai and Mary were both looking annoyed, while Joe was rubbing his arm, as if he'd just been punched there. "Who did it?" Terry asked him.

"It was me," Mary said.

Terry smirked at them. "Do I want to know why?"

"Probably not," Joe answered.

Andy walked over to Mai, wrapped his arms around the kunoichi and hugged her tightly.

"You okay?" Mai asked him, her hands caressing his back.

Andy backed away a half-pace, his arms still around her waist. "Yeah," he said. "You were right. I actually do feel better."

"Of course I'm right, Andy," Mai said with a smirk. "I'm a woman."

Terry Bogard made his way over to Mary and hugged her more tightly than Andy had hugged Mai. Mai noticed this and suggested to Andy and Joe that the three of them wait down by the car.

After they were gone, Mary looked up at Terry. It was the first time in the last two weeks that they had gotten a chance to be alone together. The detective smiled as she ran a hand through Terry's blond hair, her fingers lightly playing with the end of his ponytail. "You lose another one?" She asked him, noticing his cap was gone.

"Not lost," Terry said. "I left it with some special people. As a reminder."

Mary knew what this meant. "You saw them, then?"

"I did. I actually talked with their spirits this time. And... I made my peace with them. And with the past. I think... I'm finally ready to live."

Mary treated him to another rare smile. "I'm glad, Terry." They hugged each other again, and then Mary asked: "So what will you do now? You still planning to leave the city?"

"Not anymore," Terry said. "I feel like I have a reason to stay now." He looked down at her, then, gazing into Mary's bright jade eyes. "Um, Mary... I'd... really like to keep seeing you. If... you'll let me."

Mary smiled again. "I will, Terry. I want to keep seeing you, too."

His heart suddenly felt lighter than it had been in a very long time. Terry pulled her close again and pressed his lips against Mary's, sweeping her into a deep, passionate kiss. They stood there for a long while before starting back down the hill towards the street, walking hand-in-hand.

"Three drops of Kahlua," Mary said suddenly.

"I beg your pardon?" Terry asked her.

"A Blue Mary," she explained. "One of the ingredients is three drops of Kahlua."

"You're making that up!" Terry said with a laugh.

The blond detective shook her head. "Scout's honor," she said. "Maybe someday, you'll learn another ingredient." Terry continued to laugh, and so Mary laughed along with him. She could not remember the last time she had actually laughed out loud, and it felt liberating.

They arrived back at the car to find Joe sitting on the hood, arms crossed and staring at the pavement, looking disgusted. They looked past him and found out why: Andy and Mai were making out in the car's backseat. Mary scowled and rapped on the car window with her knuckles, startling them both. "Hey! Other people have to use that seat, you know!" She snapped.

Terry laughed and shook his head as he slipped into the driver's seat. Mary took her seat as well, in the front passenger side, ignoring Mai, who had her hands on her hips and was rapidly saying, "udder-people-ave-to-use-tha-sea-you-know," in a mocking tone. Joe got into the back, sitting at the window opposite Andy and Mai while Mai moved onto Andy's lap.

"So, did you make the dinner reservation?" Andy asked Joe, eager to change the subject before things got violent.

"Yup," said Joe.

"It better be an actual restaurant this time," Mai admonished him. "Remember yesterday, Andy, when he had the nerve to take us to that strip club?"

Joe laughed at the memory of that, not even caring if it earned him a smack from Mai's fan. It would have been worth it.

"I had no idea he was doing that, Mai," Andy said quickly. "When he said he was taking us to a place with the freshest tuna in South Town, I thought he meant seafood."

Mai giggled and kissed Andy's cheek. "I know, Andy. And I don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but you look so cute when you blush."

"Well, this is an actual restaurant," said Joe "I'm bringing a date tonight."

"Oh?" Mary asked. "Who is this one?"

"Just another spectator from the tournament that I got chatty with," said Joe. "Her name is Stacy."

Terry frowned. "I thought she was the other night's date."

"No," Joe explained. "That was Staci with an I. This one has a Y."

Mai sighed and rested her head on Andy's shoulder. "It's so confusing... Andy, I'm glad you're not a bachelor."

Andy smiled and put his arms around Mai. "Me too, Mai. Me too."

After a few moments, Mai said: "Andy, before we go back to Japan, you need to take me to one of South Town's night clubs. I want to check one out."

"You're not gonna dance on stage again, are you?" Andy asked apprehensively.

"I won't, on one condition: you actually have to dance with me this time."

"But Mai, I... don't know how."

Mai snorted. "Andy, that's ridiculous. If you can learn to do your katas while balancing on a raft in the middle of a river, you should have no problem learning how to move your feet on a dance floor. Besides, if we ever do get married, then you'll _need_ to know how to dance. I won't have you embarrassing us at our reception."

As Mai continued to run her mouth, Mary leaned over and whispered into Terry's ear: "If I ever get to be like her, you have my permission to shoot me."

Terry tried to hold back his laughter, and found that to be impossible. _This is gonna be a long ride,_ he thought to himself.

Next: the final chapter...


	21. Epilogue

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games or the anime.

* * *

As Mai continued to run her mouth, Mary leaned over and whispered into Terry's ear: "If I ever get to be like her, you have my permission to shoot me."

Terry tried to hold back his laughter, and found that to be impossible. _This is gonna be a long ride,_ he thought to himself.

* * *

 _Epilogue: One Year Later..._

 **Mino, Japan – The Shiranui Dojo – August 1996**

Mai Shiranui gave a sigh of contentment as she sat at the top of the long stone staircase outside the dojo, admiring the beautiful late summer morning. The flowers were in bloom, birds were singing, and incredibly the air was less humid today than it had been lately.

The auburn-haired ninja girl leaned back slightly and shut her eyes, reveling in the feel of the warm sun on her face, the soft breeze caressing her skin. All too easily, she found her thoughts drifting back over the past year.

* * *

The day she and Andy had returned to Japan, Andy had moved his things into Mai's room, and started sharing her bed at nights. Shortly after that, he had resumed his old schedule of spending three days a week at the Yamada dojo. When Andy wasn't over there, he and Mai would practice together, but when he was, Mai had been surprising him with homemade bento boxes more often than she used to. Sometimes she would spend the night there, and practice with Andy the next morning, though the two of them had agreed that they would abstain from sex whenever they were under Master Jubei's roof. They had a tendency to get loud, since Mai was a screamer, and neither one of them relished the idea of being the punch line in one of their judo master's sick jokes the morning after.

Mai's dojo was a different story, however. It hadn't taken her and Andy long to christen every room in it, as well as several places around the grounds, and a few of the more scenic spots in the woods behind the dojo. _Well, almost every room_ , Mai thought. The Master Bedroom door had remained shut.

Life went on. They lived, they trained. When winter came, they kept each other warm at night. Mai continued to familiarize herself with the ins and outs of running the dojo. Andy somehow managed to balance his rigorous training schedule and spending time with Mai. Not to mention that he had also started doing odd jobs around Mino, despite the fact that the dojo was financially stable. He claimed it was because he wanted to pay his own way for certain things, but Mai suspected that the real reason was because she and Andy were no longer trying to hide the fact that they were dating from Mai's family, so Andy had wanted to dispel any accusations that he was only in love with Mai because she was Hanzo Shiranui's heiress.

Despite all the work Andy was doing, though, he still made time for Mai on a regular basis, so she had no complaints. Then, four and a half months ago, Andy had announced his desire to take a training journey.

In his defense, he had done a pretty good job buttering Mai up before he breached the subject. After they were done with their morning practice, he had let her drag him into Mino to go clothes shopping (his least favorite thing). That evening, he'd taken her to dinner at her favorite restaurant, and after they were back at the dojo, Mai had lain on the couch in the reading room while Andy massaged her feet (one of the things he had picked up on in the last year was that Mai had a weakness for foot massages), which had put her in the mood for other types of physical contact.

After they had finished making love, Andy had rationally explained that he felt he had reached an impasse in his training, and wanted to learn something new. He promised that even if he couldn't call, he would find some way to stay in touch. "I love you, Mai," he had told her. "So you _know_ I'll be back." Mai, after mulling it over the next day, had said yes, but her only condition had been that Andy be back before September 1st, when the dojo would once again be opening its doors to students. She would need his help with the final preparations for that. So it was agreed.

After Andy had been gone for a month, Mai felt that it was finally time to move her things into the Master Bedroom. She had put Hanzo's futon in a storeroom in case it was ever needed as a guest bed, while the rest of his furniture was relocated to other rooms in the dojo. When Mai was moving his writing desk, she had found a sealed envelope in the desk's drawer, addressed to her, in Hanzo's handwriting. Inside the envelope was a diagram of the dojo's courtyard, along with a letter that was also in her grandfather's handwriting. The date on top indicated that he had written it about a month before he had passed. Mai had set the diagram aside, then sat down on her futon with the letter and started to read:

 _My dear granddaughter:_

 _If you are reading this, it means you have assumed proper ownership of the dojo. I hope you did not wait too long. As I told you when you returned from America, I have lived my life. I hope you are living yours, and living it well. But now that you are truly this dojo's new master, it is time for you to finally receive my legacy._

 _I have attached instructions to this letter on where to find something I have kept hidden for you in the dojo's courtyard. If you pry up the stone I have indicated in the diagram, you will find a collection of scrolls. After the spirits of your parents and grandmother were called home, these scrolls became the second most precious treasure in my life._

 _Their writings contain both a history of the Shiranui clan, as well as training guides for our clan's most advanced Ninjitsu and Koppou-Ken techniques, many of which can never be shared with outsiders. They were written almost four centuries ago by your ancestors, and have been handed down through the years to each new master by the old. It is my great honor to now entrust them to you, master of the Shiranui dojo. The teachings contained in those scrolls are your birthright, Mai-chan. Keep them safe, as someday you will have a duty to pass them down to your children, and they to their children._

 _Enclosed with the scrolls, you will find a detailed list. This list will tell you which techniques may be taught to students, and which ones must stay strictly within the clan. And also with my deshi, of course. Time and again he has proven himself a worthy warrior, who exceeded my expectations with his devotion to the arts. He has also become like a son to me, and he has captured your heart. None of these feats were easy, especially for an American. He has certainly earned the right to study our clan's most guarded secrets along with you._

 _I regret that I was not well enough physically in my few remaining years to give you at least some preparation for what you will learn from these writings, but I am confident that if you and Andy work together, you will master the techniques in time. The two of you were always a formidable team, in more ways than one._

 _Mai-chan, I know how deeply you love him. And I have known for some time now that you desire to marry him. When he finally figures out what I suspect is in his heart, the two of you have my permission to marry, and my blessing. He is strong, devoted, caring, and though it may not be easy to get into his heart, I sense that when he does let you in, there is nothing he won't do for you. He is worthy of your hand, and I know he will make you a good husband, despite his own doubts on the matter._

 _It is the responsibility of elders to teach the young. This I have done to the best of my ability, but I have found that there are many things the young can teach their elders. Mai-chan, I have trained you since before you could lift a fan, I have watched your progress through the years, but there is one skill you taught yourself: how to listen to and follow your heart. Time and again I have seen it lead you to where you were meant to be._

 _You have grown into a fine ninja, and a clever, strong-willed, beautiful young woman. You made me proud every day, dear one. I know you will continue to do so, as long as you keep following your heart._

 _Love,_

 _Your Ojisama_

By the time Mai had gotten to the end of the letter, tears of both sorrow and joy had begun to drop from her eyes onto the paper. She set the letter over on her nightstand so as not to ruin it, then spent several minutes on the futon, crying with her head in her hands. After she had composed herself, she'd folded the letter very carefully, then placed it in front of a picture of her grandfather which sat on top of her dresser.

"Domo Arigato, Ojisama," she whispered to the picture as she bowed her head respectfully. "Daisuki da yo."

With Andy still away, Mai had enlisted the aid of both Jubei Yamada and Joe Higashi, by promising to cook them dinner after the task was done. It took all three of them working with prybars Mai had found in the dojo's toolshed to move the stone that Hanzo had indicated. After lifting the stone and digging up a small layer of dirt, Mai had found two watertight canisters containing the scrolls.

Reading them had been another activity that occupied Mai's time as she waited for Andy to return. Her grandfather had enclosed another list with the scrolls outlining a recommended order of study for their contents. So far, all Mai had done was read. Perhaps when Andy got back and had done some reading himself, the two of them could practice together out in the woods, where there would be less likelihood of someone seeing them, since most of the techniques on the list were clan secrets.

* * *

Now, sitting on the steps, Mai pulled out a postcard from the seat pocket of her denim short shorts, unfolded it, and read over it again. Andy hadn't had access to phones, so postcards had been his preferred method of communicating. Not that that mattered to Mai. All that mattered to her was that Andy had actually kept in touch, as he said he would.

The card that Mai held now had come in the mail last week, and Andy had written that he would be coming home today. But it did not say what time. So Mai had gotten up before sunrise to get both her chores and her morning exercises out of the way. Since she had finished breakfast, she had been sitting out on the dojo steps, waiting for her beloved.

As she sat, she found her thoughts shifting from the past year towards the future, as she had been doing a lot since discovering her grandfather's letter. In particular, she recalled how Hanzo had written of Mai's responsibility to someday pass the secrets of the Shiranui clan on to her children and grandchildren.

Mai had started using birth control long before she and Andy had consummated their relationship, since she had wanted to be prepared for when they did become active, and also because there were other perks to taking it (if you were a ninja, it definitely helped to have fewer periods a year). She still wanted to start a family someday, but at the moment, she knew that it wasn't a possibility, since her and Andy's lives were too busy. But perhaps in five years or so, when they got a bit more settled, more comfortable in their new roles as teachers, maybe then she could talk to Andy about when she might be able to stop taking her pill. Of course, she still didn't know Andy's thoughts on children. She used to tease him about having kids when they had first begun dating. She hadn't brought it up since things had gotten more serious between them, but then again, she also didn't know Andy's thoughts on marriage either...

Her musings were interrupted by the sight of a familiar blond martial artist making his way up the long steps with a duffel strapped across his shoulder. Mai stood and waved eagerly to him. "Andy!" She shouted.

Andy looked up and smiled when he saw Mai. He stopped his ascent up the steps, and braced himself as five feet, four inches of voluptuous, red-haired kunoichi did a forward flip through the air in his direction. Andy held his arms out and a few moments later, Mai landed gracefully in them.

Mai threw her arms around Andy and kissed him hungrily. Andy returned the kiss, and for a while, their tongues were too preoccupied for them to say anything. Then finally they came up for air.

"I missed you so much!" Mai said to him.

"I missed you too, Mai," he replied. "Anything exciting happen while I was gone?"

"You have no idea," said Mai. "I have so much to tell you, but first let's get inside."

Andy needed a shower after his trek, so he and Mai took one together in the bathroom adjoining the Master Bedroom. Afterwards, they spent a few hours in bed "catching up," both in the physical sense and also with bringing one another up to speed. Eventually, it was late afternoon, and the two of them were walking hand in hand on one of the forest trails behind the dojo. Mai was wearing a sky blue sundress that managed to both cling to the curves of her body and hang loose at the same time. Andy tried to watch the trail ahead, but found it hard not to gaze down at her. After his time away, she was definitely a sight for sore eyes.

"I guess it's true what they say about absence," Mai said with a sly grin on her face. "I don't think I'll be able to walk right for the rest of the day."

"I... I didn't hurt you, did I?" She heard Andy ask. She turned to look at him and saw real worry on his face.

She giggled at him. "Andy, have I mentioned how adorable you are? Whenever I say something like that, you should always take it as a compliment. Okay?"

After a moment, he laughed along with her. "Okay, Mai, I'll try to remember that."

She leaned in close as they walked, rested her head against his arm. "Besides, I thought it was kind of hot. You were like an animal. I think maybe I should let you go on training journeys more often."

They walked in silence for a time. Mai glanced up at Andy, saw her boyfriend wearing an oddly contemplative look. "What'cha thinkin' about, Andy?" She asked him.

"A lot of things," he replied. "For one, that letter from your grandfather that you told me about. I can't believe he considers me worthy to learn clan secrets. Wherever his spirit is now, I hope I don't let him down."

Mai gave a warm smile, patted him on the arm. "You could never do that, Andy. The year you were gone, every time your name came up in conversation, grandfather always said you were his most dedicated student. More dedicated than any student he had who was actually native to Japan. If anyone is worthy of learning our clan's secret techniques, it's you."

Andy gave a funny little grin, then. "You know, it never sat right with me, Terry learning the Sempu Ken instead of me. But soon I'll know a bunch of new techniques he can never know. So I feel like we're even now."

Mai rolled her eyes. "Boys and their toys..." she muttered. "Oh, by the way, speaking of which, Terry called a few weeks ago. He had some interesting news."

"Oh?"

"Yup. South Town's new mayor wants to continue the old mayor's plan to control unlawful street fighting. But he also claims to have a better understanding of its cultural importance to the city. So he recently broke ground on what he hopes will be the first of several new 'fighting gyms,' which will be designed to withstand damage from chi-based abilities, providing fighters with a place they can gather and practice on each other without breaking the law. Also, at the ground-breaking ceremony, the mayor announced that South Town will begin hosting the King of Fighters tournament as an annual event."

Andy nodded. "I heard that they might be doing that. Apparently, he seems to think that the danger is worth the extra revenue it brings to the city. Are you going to register when you get your invitation?"

Mai smirked at him. "What do _you_ think? I'm not letting you have all the fun."

"I knew you would say that," said Andy. "Though I do wonder how much luck the mayor will have finding legitimate sponsors. I have a feeling that no matter how hard he tries, there will always be someone with ulterior motives driving the tournament."

"I've only fought in one of them so far," said Mai. "But my experience there makes me inclined to agree with you." She shrugged. "Well, if there is some sinister force behind these new tournaments, you and I will face it together..."

"...As a team," Andy finished for her.

"You know, Andy," said Mai. "I was thinking of wearing a new outfit to the tournament next year."

"Really?" said Andy, trying to hide the disappointment in his voice. He had always thought Mai looked sexy in her fighting outfit, even if it had taken him a while to realize he thought that.

"Well, I'm definitely changing my footwear," she went on. "The boots and shin guards offer protection, but they make my legs feel too heavy. I want to switch to something simple, probably just a pair of tabi. But I also wanted to alter my gi. Not too much, since it is a traditional Shiranui uniform, but maybe a few small changes here and there, both with the colors and the overall shape of it. If you're interested, I can show you some of the designs I came up with while you were gone."

"I may be the wrong man for that, Mai," said Andy. "You know I have no fashion sense."

Mai giggled. "Well, look at it this way, Andy. I know how much you like my old outfit, so I want to make sure the new one is just as pleasing to your eye. Which is why I'd appreciate your input. And I can model a few of my ideas for you, if you want. To make it more fun."

Andy laughed. "Well, when you put it that way, how can I say no?" They walked in silence for a while, just enjoying the presence of one another. Then Andy asked: "Did Terry have any other news?"

Mai shook her head. "He couldn't really stay on the line for much longer. Said he and Mary were getting together at a pool hall. You know, Andy, I'm so happy they found each other. Mary was hard to like, at first. She seems so cold, always trying to control her emotions. But once you crack that exterior, and get to know the real Mary, inside she's a very warm, caring person who'd do anything for the people she loves." Mai slipped her arm around Andy's waist, rested her head on his shoulder. "She sounds a lot like someone else I know."

As usual, Andy was either oblivious to what his girlfriend was hinting at, or he just chose to ignore it. After a few moments of silence, he said: "Well, as long as she makes my brother happy, that's all that matters to me. He deserves to be happy, after everything he's lost."

Mai studied his face for a long moment, then. "Andy... could it be that you're finally getting over this whole rivalry with him?"

"I don't know if I'll ever go _that_ far," said Andy. "Beating him will always be one of my goals. I'll probably never stop training for that. But when I was away, I had a lot of time to think. Your grandfather once told me that not all battles are won with our fists."

Mai smirked at him. "I remember he used to say that. It's good advice, Andy."

Andy stopped walking, then, placed his hands on Mai's shoulders, and gently turned her to face him. "I always wondered what he meant, and I think I may have figured that out. Mary is nice, Mai, but... she isn't you. You really are one of a kind. I think a small part of me has known that ever since Master Hanzo first introduced me to you all those years ago. I could live to be a hundred, and never come close to finding another girl quite like you."

Mai's brow crinkled. "What are you getting at, Andy?"

"Mai, do you remember what I said to you on that flight back to Japan after that ordeal with the Armor of Mars?"

She nodded, her deep brown eyes shining. "I'll never forget it, Andy. You said that I was the most special person in your life, and you were sorry that you hadn't been showing it in all the time we had been dating. You said that after what happened in the Dead Sea, you didn't want to take me for granted anymore, and you promised to try and treat me the way I deserved to be treated, like I was your girlfriend. Until that night on the patio, when you told me you loved me, that was the sweetest thing you had ever said to me."

"You've become even more special since then," said Andy. "Special enough that I don't ever want to let you slip away. I think that being away from you for a few months helped me to realize that. So I want us to always be a team, in every sense of the word." Andy took a small felt-covered box from his pocket, and clicked open the lid. Mai Shiranui saw the small glint inside the box, felt her legs going weak, felt her heart skipping a beat, felt like all the sounds of summer in the forest around them had suddenly faded away to nothing, leaving only her and Andy.

Andy wrapped his other hand gently around the fingers of Mai's right hand, and gazed down into her luminous brown eyes. "What I'm trying to say, Mai, is... I want to... want to know if you'll..."

"Yes!" Mai blurted out, tears of joy already brimming in her eyes.

Andy seemed taken aback by this. "Mai, I didn't even finish asking," he said. "I want to know if you'll m..."

"Andy, you don't _need_ to ask," she said with a laugh. "You've always known the answer! _Of course_ I'll marry you! You're the only man I've _ever_ wanted to marry!"

Andy smiled and inwardly rolled his eyes. The proposal hadn't gone exactly the way he planned it, but it seemed fitting. His entire courtship with Mai had been unorthodox, and Andy wouldn't have wanted it any other way. It was unique, like her. Without another word, he took the ring from the box and slipped it on her finger.

Mai raised her right hand, took a moment to admire it. The band was gold, and the stone was a small white diamond set into a pink cherry blossom. All of Mai's favorite colors. Suddenly, Andy's real reason for doing all those odd jobs around Mino became clear to her. "Oh, Andy," she whispered. "It's beautiful. Now give your fiancee a kiss!"

"With pleasure." Andy slipped both arms around Mai's waist, pulled her close, and pressed his lips firmly against hers. It was a while before the two came up for air, and then they simply spent several minutes gazing into each others' eyes. Finally, Andy said: "All we need to do now is arrange a time and place to tell your family. That should be an even bigger adventure than Geese, Krauser, Mars and the Jin Scrolls put together."

Mai laughed. "The way I see it, they have two choices. They can learn to live with it, or they can disown me. Either way, I'm not letting them take the dojo. If they want to challenge us for it, they're welcome to try."

"Hey, if we have to fight an honor duel to keep the dojo," said Andy. "I'm sure you or I will be more than a match for whoever _their_ champion is."

Mai nodded. "Agreed. And look at this way: if they do disown me, it will just mean less mouths to feed at the wedding reception."

Andy laughed, and gently brushed his fingertips against Mai's soft cheek. "Ai shiteru, Mai Shiranui," he said.

"Ai shiteru, Andy Bogard," Mai whispered back, then stood up on her toes and locked lips with her fiance once more, kissing him passionately. Andy kissed her back with all the love he felt for her. Tomorrow would bring a new set of challenges, since he had a feeling that Mai's family would not be happy about this engagement. But at this moment, with the woman he loved in his arms, everything was right with the world.

* * *

 **South Town – Terry Bogard's apartment**

The kitchen was barely large enough for one person to move around comfortably. So naturally, it was a little tight with two people. Mary Ryan was standing in the doorway by the phone that hung on the wall, holding the receiver, while Terry was busy getting two bottles of beer out of his fridge.

"That's great, Mai," Mary said into the mouthpiece of the phone, managing to drum up some enthusiasm in her voice. "I'm happy for you... No, I really am... It doesn't matter what _I_ think about romance, I know what it means to you, and I know how much you wanted this. So I really am happy for you."

Mai said something then which Terry could not hear, but by the expression on Mary's face, he could imagine what the kunoichi might be talking about. "Uh huh," Mary said. "Uh huh." After a moment, Mary rolled her eyes, then placed her hand over the mouthpiece and whispered to Terry: "She's describing the ring."

Terry smirked at her and gave an exaggerated shrug. Mary scowled at him as if to say _thanks for the sympathy,_ then took her hand away from the phone. "Well, that sounds really great, Mai. He did a good job with it." Terry covered his mouth, managed to hold back his laughter, and then busied himself looking for the bottle opener.

There was another pause. And then Mary asked: "Okay, what do you need?" Her green eyes opened wide in surprise. "Mai, are you sure? I don't think I'm qualified. I've never been to a wedding in my life. I wouldn't even know where to start with... what? Okay... okay... Well, are you _sure_ you still trust me? Then... all right, I'll do it. No, it's my pleasure. Just send me details. Yeah, okay... He's right here. Sure. And congratulations to you both. Okay, take care!"

Terry looked up from what he was doing, saw Mary holding out the receiver to him. "They want to talk to you again."

Terry nodded, put the bottles of beer down on the kitchen counter, and then he and Mary managed to switch places. Terry took the receiver and spoke into it: "Hello, Mai? Oh, sorry... Andy. Yeah... okay... No, I won't be offended if you ask Joe... Yes, really. Andy, I'll do whatever you need me to do. I'm just happy you finally figured out what was right in front of you, and anything I can do to help is my pleasure. I know you two will have a great life." As Terry spoke, his other hand went to the drawer down by his side. He slid it open, and after rummaging through it, located the bottle opener. He fished it out and passed it over to Mary.

As Mary opened their beers, Terry continued to talk into the receiver. "Yeah, okay... well, again, just keep me posted... What? Oh, Mai says that the two of you need to get back to celebrating. Okay, I won't keep you from that. Congratulations, you two. Have fun!" He hung up the phone and accepted the beer that Mary offered him.

"I always knew this day was coming," said Terry. "Andy wasn't there when I first met Mai, so the first time I actually saw them together was when I came back from Germany after fighting Krauser. They met me at the airport, and I noticed how Mai kept looking at him, and how he kept stealing glances at her when she was looking at something else. Ever since then, I knew that someday I'd get this call." He left out that he was surprised it had happened so soon. Maybe in a different timeline, it might have taken Andy longer to figure out that he and Mai were soul mates. But after everything they had been through... well, no matter. Terry was happy for them regardless.

"Just don't get any ideas," Mary told him, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"What do you mean?" Terry asked her.

"I've seen this before," said Mary. "Somebody knows someone who's getting married, or knows someone who knows someone, and it gives them ideas. So please don't show up at my door with a ring. I like what we have right now."

Terry laughed. "Don't worry. I like what we have, too."

The two of them finally made their way out of the cramped kitchen and into Terry's living room. He had actually managed to clean it up somewhat for their date night. Mary didn't see any of his old clothes laying around, and the air actually smelled fresh. He had also put some candles out on his coffee table, which provided most of the light in the room.

"I'm sorry I didn't have a plan for dinner," said Terry as they sat down on the couch.

"It's okay," Mary said with a smirk. She knew that Terry's cooking skills were even worse than his brother's, but it was still endearing. "I know you have one of the most extensive libraries of take-out menus in South Town. We'll find something."

Terry laughed and held his beer out to Mary. "To my brother and his bride-to-be," he said.

"Hear, hear," said Mary, and clinked her bottle against his.

After they had each taken a sip, Terry asked her: "So, what did Mai ask you?"

Mary's expression grew stern. "Promise me you won't laugh."

"I promise," Terry said innocently.

"Okay," said Mary. "She... asked me to be her maid of honor."

Terry tried to hold back his laughter, but one small chortle still found its way out. Mary punched him on the arm. "You promised!" She told him.

"Sorry," said Terry, and took another sip of beer. "It's just that I was thinking back to what you said to her. It's not something you really need to be qualified for. All you have to do is plan a bachelorette party, hold her bouquet during the ceremony when she needs you to, say some nice things about her and Andy at the reception, suffer through a dance with the best man. Um, you _can_ say nice things, right?"

"Well, wait a minute," Mary argued. "We still don't know what type of ceremony it will be. You're describing western ceremonies. We don't know if they'll have that, or a Japanese one. Or if the wedding will be over there, or over here."

Terry shrugged. "So, think of it as an assignment. And then do your research. You like that sort of thing."

Mary gave a resigned laugh. "I love and hate that you know me so well. But you know... the real reason you're okay with this is because you have another excuse to see me in a dress."

Terry looked her over before answering. Mary was wearing a sapphire blue dress with a V-shaped neckline, the skirt riding up just past her knees when she was in a sitting position. "You wear them well, you know," he said to her.

"I _like_ to wear jeans," Mary said. The only reason she was even wearing a dress right now was because she had made a bet with Terry before their last sparring match. Obviously, she had lost. "Next time I make a bet with you, I won't lose. Then maybe I'll have _you_ put on a dress."

"Hey, I was just curious," Terry said. "In all the time we've been dating, I've never seen you wear one."

"Well, now you have," said Mary. "So, can I take it off?"

"Already?" Terry asked her. "We haven't even ordered dinner."

Mary put her beer down on the table, leaned in close to Terry. "Come on," she whispered. "I'll take it off slowly, while you watch." Her hand slowly began to creep up his thigh. "Oh, did I mention I'm not wearing panties?"

Terry gave a small shudder of pleasure. "Tempting, but... just five more minutes?"

Mary sighed. "Very well." She picked up her beer and took another sip. Then, she reached over to a small cardboard box on the coffee table, and picked it up.

"Oh, these came in the mail the other day," she said as she opened the box. "Finally." She pulled one of the business cards out of the box and handed it to Terry.

Terry took the card and looked at the writing embossed on it in deep blue letters: BLUE MARY INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES. Underneath that, in smaller letters, was embossed: _Detective Mary Ryan, Private Investigator_ , along with her address and phone number.

"Looks good," Terry said as he handed the card back to her. "I'm glad you're going forward with this."

Mary shook her head. "Keep it. Give it to a friend."

Terry laughed and slipped the card into his pocket. "Already, you've got the self-promotion thing down."

Mary laughed, as well. Then after a moment, her expression became more serious. She sipped her drink and said: "Even though I found my work with the police less satisfying since we defeated Geese Howard, I still wasn't sure I was doing the right thing. I'm glad I took that trip to clear my head."

Terry nodded. About six months ago, after Mary had tendered her resignation with the South Town PD, she had taken a trip up north, both to visit her grandfather's dojo and finally return the stolen writings to him, and also to see some old friends in the DC Metro area. On her way back, she had stopped in Arlington National Cemetery to pay her respects to her father, and to Butch.

"I had a long chat with their graves," Mary said to him. "I don't know if Dad could hear me, wherever he is now, but I think he would understand. I'm not forgetting what he and my grandfather taught me. I'm still using my abilities to help others, just doing it on my terms. My experiences with you and your friends have taught me that sometimes, you need more than the police."

Terry shrugged, sipped his beer. "You told me what your grandfather said at the end of your visit. And I agree with him."

For a moment, Mary recalled standing with her grandfather at the top of his dojo steps, as she was getting ready to leave. He had smiled down at her and said: _Your father would be proud of you, Chiisa Kin'iro no Kami, no matter what path you choose, because I am so proud of you._

"I don't know if I told you this," Mary said to Terry. "But the new commissioner practically begged me not to go. Tried bribing me with a bigger office, a raise, longer vacations."

"I believe it. You were one of the best cops there," Terry said with a shrug. "I can understand why they would want to keep you."

"Honestly, I thought it was a little pathetic," Mary said with a scowl. "I hate people who kiss ass. But it's good to know that as I'm waiting for word of mouth to get around about my new agency, I'm sure I can get plenty of work helping out the South Town PD as a consultant on their cases."

"So you'll be busy while I'm away," Terry told her. "I'm glad. I'm sure this new business venture is gonna pay off big for you."

The smile faded from Mary's face momentarily. "So you're going ahead with your training journey?"

"Yeah," said Terry. "Gotta learn some new moves before the tournament starts next year. But don't worry, I'll be back before Thanksgiving. And I'll definitely find a way to stay in touch. Even if the only thing I can find are carrier pigeons."

"Well, before you go," said Mary. "Can you come with me down to the shelter? I want you to at least meet my new baby boy. After all, you two are gonna have to get along."

"You're going ahead with it, then?" Terry knew that Mary had been talking about adopting a dog for a while, and for the past week, there was one puppy in particular at a nearby shelter who had caught her eye, and her heart. She had been down there to see him almost every day.

"Well, yeah," said Mary. "I'm gonna need someone to keep me company when you go off on training journeys. I've already paid the adoption fee and taken care of the paperwork. They're just holding him for me until I can pick up a few more things for my apartment."

"Okay," said Terry. "We can go see him tomorrow."

"Relax, Terry," Mary said with a sly smile as she moved in closer to him. "I'm sure he'll never be as cuddly as you. At least, I don't think he will."

Terry laughed, and put his arm around Mary. "So, what do you feel like for dinner?" He asked her.

Mary's green eyes started to gleam mischievously as she set her beer down on the table, then took Terry's beer and set it alongside hers. "I think I'd rather order in before we order out," she said as she pressed her body close to his. "It's been five minutes."

Terry shook his head and smiled at her. "You are one in a million, Mary," he said to her.

Mary smiled back at him. "You're one in a billion." She then slipped her tongue into Terry's mouth, kissed him deeply.

Terry accepted her tongue and eagerly offered her his own. As they kissed on his couch, Terry felt that for the first time since Jeff Bogard's murder, everything was finally right with the world. He had no doubts that tomorrow would bring new enemies, new challenges. Like Andy, he believed that there would probably be some sinister force behind these new King of Fighters tournaments, despite the mayor's promise to make sure that they were legitimately sponsored. But whatever the future brought, Terry Bogard would face it with his friends, his family...

...And with the woman he loved by his side.

 **THE END**

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Aaaand, finito! Thank you so much to everyone who has read and followed this, whether it was from the beginning or whether it was picked up by you along the way. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I have writing it. Also, thank you to my wife, for putting up with me as I've monopolized the computer for the last few weeks to write the final few chapters of this beast.

Lately, I've found myself more nostalgic for the 1990s, for some reason. At the start of the year, I found the Fatal Fury OVAs on YouTube after forgetting they existed for a _long_ time (it was at least twenty years ago now that I watched the Motion Picture one Saturday morning on the SciFi channel). Parts of them hadn't aged well. I actually had to stop watching them on YouTube at one point and find them on another website so I could watch the subbed versions, since I could not stand a lot of the actors in the English dub. But anyway, I did see the potential for a good character-driven story, and I hope that I delivered. Plus, I wanted to create some closure, since the ending to the third movie did not give us ANY. Maybe someday I'll write again in this fandom, but for now, I'm taking a vacation.

And please, please, please, please, please, PLEASE: _review_. I'm always looking for ways I can improve my writing.

Thanks again for reading!


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